Tiger Tank

Tiger Tank: Participating Entrepreneur Information & Expectations

Overview

The Wittenberg Tiger Tank is a modified version of the hit TV series Shark Tank. Students will be able to develop their own idea for a product, service, business or non-profit venture and apply to have an opportunity to receive help from business faculty and staff to further develop their idea. The culminating event will allow each selected student/team to present their ideas to a panel of successful Wittenberg alumni who will provide feedback and award various prizes.

Downloadable Participant Form

Important Dates & Deadlines

  • November 2 – 5 Minute Video Pitch Due (By 5 p.m.)
  • November 2-16 – Panel Review of Videos (Feedback Provided After the Nov. 16)
  • November 27 – Prototype Meeting for All Participants
  • January 7 – Slideshow & Prototype Complete
  • February 5th – Tiger Tank Event (7 p.m., Founders Pub, Benham-Pence Student Center)

Initial Registration Process

  1. Intent to Participate: Begin by filling out the registration form attached to this document. This will let us know about your intent to participate. Don’t worry that your idea is not yet fully developed at this point. We simply want to know that you will be bringing an idea to us by the video pitch deadline. Complete this as soon as possible.
  2. 5 Minute Video Pitch: Your recorded video pitch will be the first item that you are required to submit for the event. See below for instructions and deadline information.
  3. Feedback & Acceptance: You will be given feedback on your 5 minute video pitch. This will be provided by a panel of individuals which could include faculty, staff, entrepreneurship students, and alumni. They must recommend your idea in order to move forward after this step. Please note that some ideas might not make it to the “tank.”

5 Minute Video Pitch Instructions

You should develop 5 minute video pitch with all the elements listed below that describes the need you are addressing and how your idea, product, or service will attempt to respond to that need. This initial video will not cover everything that you might want to say. However, it should be specific enough for the panel to grasp the concept and evaluate its viability. The panel of reviewers will be making a recommendation for moving your idea forward so be sure that your pitch is complete, succinct, and thought through.

Please record this video in whatever way you would like (ex. computer webcam, phone, etc.). However, we ask that no special editing or effects be included. You are to give a straight unedited pitch that is 5 minutes in length. You should include the following information.

  1. Product/Idea Summary Overview: Give us a general description of the product or idea that you are proposing. How might it respond to the underlying need you identified?
  2. Need Analysis: Discuss the need or gap that you believe needs addressed. What is missing in the current range of products or services? Who is affected and how? Why should this need be addressed?
  3. A Little About You: What about you, your motivation, skills and experiences matters most as it relates to your target need and your ideas about how to meet it? Why this need? Why you?

Please save your video and email it to both Prof. Kevin Steidel (steidelk@wittenberg.edu) and Heath Queen (queenh@wittenberg.edu) by the deadline listed above. Please note that you might need to upload to a cloud service and send a shared link to your video if file size issues arise.

Offered Prizes & Experiences

This program offers many different options for prize opportunities. Some are available to be given out by any participating student and some are restricted on the ability of the Tiger to provide an internship. The key here is “variety.” You will have an opportunity to at least receive feedback and advice on your idea from alumni Tigers. If your idea is excellent, they might even offer you a mentorship or a paid internship.  
 

  1. Grand Prize: We are excited to offer a grand prize this year to one exceptional idea and presentation. This grand prize consists of over $20,000 worth of business assistance in various forms. This assistance includes things like:
    • 1 Year Tax Advice, Setup, & Free Tax Return (LWS Tax & Accounting, $9,000 Value)
    • Branding, Logo, & Photography (Sydney Lynne Designs, $2,500 Value)
    • 1 Year Membership (Springfield Chamber of Commerce, $2,000 Value)
    • 10 Hours of Business Coaching (Kim Frazier, Owner of Speakeasy Ramen and Director of the Dayton Entrepreneurs Center, $1,500 Value)
    • Legal Advice & Business Startup Package (Attorney Nathan Painter, $5,000 Value)
  2. In-Tank Feedback: All Tigers will provide feedback based on their own expertise. This will happen immediately after the presentation has been given. We believe that we have recruited a diverse group of successful alumni who will be able to offer different perspectives on the presented ideas.
  3. Mentorships: Some participating Tigers might offer mentorships to students that have projects they are interested in. We expect you to dedicate time in your schedule to work with these willing alumni and to follow-through with their advice. They are giving their time to assist you and we expect that you respect and utilize that.

Program Rules

  1. No investment/equity offers can be presented or accepted in the tank. This rule is to assist in protecting Wittenberg University from any conflicts and rights to ownership in these projects based on university resources used in the process. It also intends to clarify to everyone involved that the overriding goal of this effort is to help our students develop personally and professionally.
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