By Kate Hill
Staff Writer
On May 31, eight budding entrepreneurs pitched their business and invention ideas to a panel of local entrepreneurs or “sharks” at the first annual Cazenovia High School Shark Tank Night.
Christina New’s Business Entrepreneurship class presented the event to highlight the ingenuity of students in grades 8-12. All of the admissions money was used to fund awards for the first and second place contestants and the “Fan Favorite.”
“I’m excited to be able to offer such a great event at the school,” New said. “It gets the students thinking critically about solving real-world problems in a fun way.”
Rick Haube, Fred Marconi and Beth Race judged the competition.
Haube is vice president of global marketing at PCT International, Inc. He has over 36 years of experience in the cable television, satellite and mobile telecommunications industries. He holds 13 patents and seven active patent applications associated with telecom connectivity devices.
Marconi has over 40 years of experience in product development with Fisher-Price, Thomson Consumer Electronics Inc. and MCM Design, Inc. He has helped to bring over 100 products to market.
Race has worked for Cazenovia CSD for 15 years as a teaching assistant and computer support specialist. Previously, she held positions as a computer programmer, an analyst, a training division manager, and a computer consultant for Syracuse University College of Law. This year, she plans to retire in order to take on the role of CEO of her new company, Eco-Baggeez LLC — which will provide a low cost, eco-friendly alternative to plastic sandwich/snack bags. She currently holds two patents.
The student competitors delivered their proposals individually or in pairs.
Natalie Garrow and Riley O’Brien presented their design for a wall-mounted shampoo dispenser; Tony Heaney and Chad Carges proposed “URSmell,” a discreet fragrance-spraying bracelet; Charlie Thompson showcased his “Chucks Woodchucks” handcrafted wooden pens; Ella Salzman and Katie Webb debuted their double-sided “teethbrushes;” and Rio Harper presented “Exabyte,” his custom computer business.
After the contestants presented their ideas, the judges deliberated and the audience voted for the fan favorite.
Before announcing the winners, hosts Abby Burrell and Julia Falge raffled off a Razor Scooter and two t-shirts created by the Business Entrepreneurship class.
At the end of the event, Harper was named fan favorite, Garrow and O’Brien earned second place and Thompson was announced the winner of the competition.
Harper, Garrow and O’Brien earned $50 to advance their ideas. Thompson will receive a $200 scholarship at graduation.
Thompson began crafting wooden pens in 2016. He now uses several different kinds of wood — oak, maple, purple heart, zebra and cherry — to create a variety of pen and pencil styles. The wood is shaped by hand or on a lathe and then stained. The pens are assembled with metal finishes and ink cartridges.
The finished product is not only aesthetically unique, but it also helps to reduce the number of pens discarded annually.
“According to the EPA, Americans throw out 1.6 billion disposable pens every year,” Thompson said.
He also said his pens are easy to refill and can be customized with dates, logos, individual/business names and more. He currently offers his product for $15 at the Cazenovia Farmers’ Market once a month, and he hopes to sell at 20|EAST on Albany St. and at Syracuse farmers’ markets in the future. The pens can also be pre-ordered at [email protected].
Thompson plans to use his winnings to add wine bottle-stoppers to his product offerings.
Thirteen-year-old Harper began Exabyte with the goal of building computers with parts specifically selected for his customers’ individual needs and preferences. He hopes to make computers for everyone, including gamers, small business owners, students, telecommuters and video editors.
During his presentation, Harper said custom computers are more expandable, more versatile, cheaper, aesthetically “cooler,” and more powerful than most other computers or video game consoles.
He plans to charge a labor fee of 10 percent of each computer’s total cost and to use any profits to enhance his advertising strategies.
Harper said he would build and deliver each computer within one week and provide a 30-day warranty.
Customers can customize their computers and place their orders online at exabytecomputers.net.
Garrow and O’Brien’s presentation featured a wall-mounted shampoo dispenser designed to reduce product and plastic bottle waste. The practical, easy-to-use device features a plunger mechanism that is used to force all of the product from the dispenser. Once emptied, the eco-friendly device can easily be removed and cleaned.
According to the pair, the invention would be priced at around $20 and would be targeted toward cost-conscious consumers who are likely to purchase shampoo (or similar products) in bulk.
All of the contestants emphasized the importance of social media for marketing their products.
