Eleven teams of teens arrived with well-thought-out innovative ideas on March 12 in the Williams Center. The students represented Findley Lake, Frewsburg, Lake Shore, Randolph, and Southwestern school districts. 

Each team came up with an idea for a highly marketable product or service, named them, and created attractive logos for their businesses. They had to explain why they believed a big enough market exists to make their concept profitable and competitive, especially in cases where similar products and services already exist. Whether or not they had conceived of something completely new to the market or not, they had to identify the types of people most likely to purchase it and develop a marketing campaign. 

Like the well-known Shark Tank television show, this annual event is fun and educational. It proves that starting a business is doable and not as daunting as many fear. People of all ages are completely capable of designing a desirable product or service once they learn what it takes to be successful. Some of the richest people today came up with a unique idea in their youth and saw it through, like the founders of Amazon, Facebook, and Microsoft. 

First place went to Frewsburg’s Burg Beach Babes: The Teloschke group for their product designed to keep beach towels from blowing away. It would be made of long-lasting, sustainable materials, including 100% cotton on one side, with the other side being water and sand-resistant. It would be easy to clean with a hose or in a washing machine. Their business plan included having manufacturing take place at The Resource Center, with 5% of the profits returning to that organization. Their marketing plan included a website and media accounts through TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram.

Dr. Kaustav Misra presents the Lake Shore Central High School team with green ribbons for the snowboarding goggles with AI technology they designed and branded "Peak“.

Second place was secured by Randolph’s team. Their proposed company, BEACH Dash!, would provide a beach setup and delivery service. Booked online, customers would pay for a stress-free beach experience. For a flat fee of $20, their chairs, umbrellas, coolers, and other essentials would be carried across long, hot, and sandy distances and set up ready for their arrival, then cleaned up and removed upon their departure.

One of 5 Lake Shore Central teams took third place, with their product proposal for Peak. Peak would provide snowboarding goggles with AI technology. The voice-activated goggles would provide a digital interface, recording, visuals, and play music when connected to a phone. They would feature GPS tracking if lost and notify the ski patrol if a crash is detected.

A first-time honorable mention went to Southwestern’s Sand Screen team. Their product was a spray designed to keep sand from sticking to people. They proposed doing BOGO promotions and giveaways to market their product in beach shops.

Other products included Tide Tag, a device that tracks vitals and location at the beach; Aq Watch, an app that tracks dehydration, drowning, and hazards like dangerous currents and sharks; Popshade, Inc. which would be an umbrella with a cooling option stored inside a bag; Commisioner, an app to end cold calls for insurance; Velocitech, a lacrosse head with tech to track shot speed, accuracy, and reps; Microwavabowl, a food preparation appliance; and Hair Flair, a Bluetooth and AI operated headband that provides hair health information and styling ideas.

The pitch competitors were judged on factors like demonstrating teamwork, having developed solid business and marketing plans, as well as enthusiasm and excitement for their product, by three judges: Josiah Lamp, Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth Program Manager, Stephanie Nick, Chautauqua County Department of Planning & Development Special Projects Coordinator – Economic Development, and Angel M. Clark, SUNY Fredonia Director of Alumni Affairs.

While each team presented their products and plans, their peers learned more about how to make their dreams a reality from SUNY Fredonia School of Business interns.

SUNY Fredonia offers a wide range of business programs, including Accounting, Public Accountancy, Finance, Management, Marketing, Business Administration, Music Industry, Sport Management, and Economics. 

The State University of New York at Fredonia Business Department provides its students with all the latest knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in the current, constantly evolving business environment. In addition to many opportunities to participate in internships, students can hone their skills in competitions similar to the Shark Tank, or learn directly from business people providing presentations about their businesses at the SUNY Fredonia Center for Innovation and Economic Development (CIED), or those who have based their businesses in the center. They can learn firsthand everything they need to know about market research, business plan development, operations, problem-solving, and quality improvement strategies. Real-world experiences like these, combined with their academic study, ensure SUNY Fredonia students enter the business world fully armed for success. 

The SUNY Fredonia Shark Tank organizing team included Dr. Kaustav Misra, Dean of the School of Business, Lisa Walters, PhD, So-Jin Yu, PhD, Lipika Arif, PhD, Dr. Neepa Babulal, Kimberlie Ball, Associate Director of Admissions, and Kaitlin Gelsinger, Coordinator, Pre-College Outreach.

The Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation’s Local Economic Development committee strongly supports events that positively impact the economic development of our region, like developing young entrepreneurs through the annual High School Shark Tank competition. Consistently ranked as one of the most affordable and highest-ranked public universities in the Northeast USA, SUNY Fredonia’s School of Business is producing business leaders who will guarantee our region continues to grow and prosper.