Students compete in Shark Tank-style business competition [Video]

Fourteen Dallas ISD students spent the first part of their summer competing in a “Shark Tank”-style business competition. The Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship set up the course at UNT Dallas.

“The connections you make are amazing whether you win anything or not,” the group’s Trish McKeel said. “Everybody’s a winner. You all walk out of here with more than you came in with, not only monetarily but experience-wise.”

Students made their final pitches on Thursday. They had to show their target customer, the problem that the customer needs to solve, and data showing an opportunity.

They could use five slides to show the value their business would provide, features that would be unique to the market, the target market and cost structure.

Ideas included decorative eyelashes, individually designed press-on nails, a skin care product, an app to help kids evaluate and improve their mental health, and improved fiber optic connections …