The eHIVE’s new and upcoming Shark Tank series will be held over the next upcoming months, although the next chance to get involved is Wednesday, Feb. 28.. The series is an opportunity for students to learn how to propose ideas and start their own businesses. A final Shark Tank competition will be held with winnings to help begin start-up businesses or aid existing ones.

Cassy Dorsch, director of the eHIVE, said, “The Shark Tanks series is a number of workshops that end in a Shark Tank competition.” As for the series itself, it consists of the Goldfish Tank, two Dolphin Tanks, and the final Shark Tank. 

The first tank was the Goldfish Tank, which, according to the eHIVE events flyer, took place on Jan. 30 from 12-1 p.m. Dorsch said that of the four individual tanks, the Goldfish Tank was the most basic, as it highlighted the eHIVE’s services, such as their one-on-one coaching and Makerspace services. Dorsch said, “The Goldfish Tank is just to show kind of what we do.”

According to the eHIVE events flyer, the next of the tanks are the Dolphin Tanks, the first of which takes place on Feb. 28 from 12-1 p.m., and the second one takes place on April 3 from 12-1 p.m. The Dolphin Tanks will consist of workshops that will teach students the skills needed to start a business and content they will need to compete in the Shark Tank. Dorsch said, “There will be a number of experts on different business topics, and it will be very fast-paced; students will have an opportunity to learn about a lot of topics in a short amount of time from experts.” The second of the two Dolphin Tanks will be slower, as it will be a time for students to present their ideas in a roundtable fashion.

The final tank will be the Shark Tank, taking place on April 23 from 4-6 p.m., according to the eHIVE events flyer. Dorsch said, “The final event is when we actually reveal the winners, so students will have the opportunity in the weeks leading up to the final to actually pitch their idea.” Dorsch also said that students who want to pitch their ideas will do so in front of a group of judges, and the semi-finalists will participate in an online event where the winners will be decided by popular vote. 

As one might be able to guess from the title of the series, the eHIVE’s Shark Tank series is inspired by the reality TV show “Shark Tank.” Dorsch said, “We had been thinking about doing a Shark Tank for a few years now.” However, previous student feedback said they felt reluctant to present their ideas in a Shark Tank format. Thankfully, Dorsch had previously participated in a competition similar to Shark Tank at a separate institution, and this experience gave her the idea to use a series of workshops to build up to a full-on Shark Tank experience. 

When asked about the Shark Tank series, Sadie Mink, a student ambassador, entrepreneurial leadership major and eHIVE scholar, said, “I think it’s a really great opportunity.” Mink also said that she herself was planning on participating in the Shark Tank. Mink expressed that the Shark Tank series is a perfect time for students to show off talents, abilities, and skills in front of a group of judges for the chance to win funding for their own business.