A teen version of ‘Shark Tank’ featuring real sharks

It’s one thing for an entrepreneur to pitch a concept in a “shark tank”-style environment, but it’s quite another thing to have real sharks present.

The 2023 Norwalk Leadership Institute (NLI) cohort recently sponsored an event in the Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk inspired by the popular TV show “Shark Tank.”The NLI and the Youth Business Initiative of Norwalk (YBI) partnered to provide the contestants ““ mostly students from underprivileged backgrounds ““ with the opportunity to put forth their ventures in competition for a grand prize of $1,000 and a second-place prize of $500.

The winners were selected by a panel of judges consisting of Brian Brumit, the owner and president at the HealthCare Subrogation Group; Shenton King, the vice president of marketing and commercial operations at King Industries; and George Perham, the president of Visionary Interiors Architecture.

Unlike the television show that inspired the event, participants were not cutting deals with investors and would not have financial obligations at the end of the night. Instead, the judges asked questions after each presentation and conferred with each other to decide on which businesses would benefit the most from the investment.

The winning pitches were Jadon Washington’s SureHouse Studios in first place and Arleny Abreu’s Mindful Couture in second.

Washington has already established a brick-and-mortar location for SureHouse Studios, which aims to provide creators across disciplines with a space for creating music, networking with fellow artists and supporting engagement strategies.

“My business exists to give power to artists who otherwise would not have the opportunity to be heard,”Washington said. “There are so many unheard voices in our area, so many unseen painters and designers in our area that just don’t get the shine that they deserve. We will use the money to help us get more equipment so that we can serve more artists and those artists can in turn serve the community.”During his presentation, Washington shared a song he wrote and produced at SureHouse, performed by a friend he met through the process of launching the business. Washington said he plans to put the funds towards a new computer to help facilitate production.

Arleny Abreu earned second place with her pitch for Mindful Couture, a clothing line with a message of self-actualization and improvement. Earning the award was part of her own concerted effort to realize her brand’s ethos.

“Honestly,”Abreu admitted, “the hardest part was probably commitment. Because there were some days where I was like, ‘I know I want this but what if I’m not good enough?”She credited the YBI with providing the training and supportive environment she needed to succeed in front of a crowd containing business leaders as well as friends and family.
Abreu plans to put the money she earned towards ordering a shipment of shirts designed to her specifications from a manufacturer in China that will help establish her brand and grow an audience for the social engagement aspect of her business.

“I’ve been going to [YBI] Shark Tanks every Monday since January, I really have been putting my all into this, showing up, doing the work, doing the research, and really just putting my passion into this project,”Abreu said. “It takes practice, a lot of nights where I went to sleep late, but I know that this is what I want to do so I’m going to fight for it.”