SpringBoardNC hosted Shark Tank, a business idea competition in Rocky Mount that showcased eastern North Carolina entrepreneurs.
Adults, college students and members of Rocky Mount’s Youth Entrepreneur Academy (YEA) Program participated in the event, which was held Saturday Nov. 16 at N.C. Wesleyan College Dunn Center for Performing Arts.
“Shark Tank helped identify promising new ideas, motivated people with the potential to create successful businesses, and will continue to enhance the culture of entrepreneurship in the area,” said Jeff Tobias, vice president of SpringBoardNC.
The Kenan Institute partnered with business leaders around Rocky Mount to support the start of SpringBoardNC, a non-profit organization and entrepreneur resource hub fostering and supporting entrepreneurs in the region. SpringBoardNC has developed networking and learning opportunities to help build a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem in eastern North Carolina.
Shark Tank was the first business competition of its kind in the area. It was the product of a broad collaboration that included the Rocky Mount Chamber of Commerce, N.C. Wesleyan College’s Eastern North Carolina Center for Business & Entrepreneurship, the Kenan Institute, Carolina’s Gateway Partnership, and the North Eastern Entrepreneur Roundtable (NEER).
The event featured aspiring entrepreneurs in three divisions presenting their ideas to a panel of judges and potential investors. Finalists from three divisions had 10 minutes to make their business pitch to the audience. Highly respected business leaders Mayo Boddie, Chairman of Boddie-Noell Enterprises, Brian Wordsworth, Executive Vice President of MBM Corporation and Frances Gravely, Founder of Vietri served as judges. Tail Gate Buddy, a tailgate accessory company won the business division. The College Division winner was Kristopher Hutchins with a business idea of a skin patch that can measure blood alcohol content for responsible bar owners. The Young Entrepreneur Academy winner was Thane Wooten with the idea of t-shirts with science and math catch phrases.