On April 11, several campus engineering societies held a Shark Tank-style event where participants presented their project to a panel of judges who decided if they were "in" or "out."
This event featured student entrepreneurs pitching their ideas for their pre-submitted projects or business proposals. Participants could gain feedback on their projects, learn how their ideas will work in the professional world or earn prizes.
The Shark Tank 2.0 Competition was brought to the Hayden Library by the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers at ASU, Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers at ASU and American Society of Mechanical Engineers at Arizona State University. Their event has inspired many students to improve their business proposals and pitching skills.
"I'm participating in this to polish my presentation skills," said Chandra Prakash Pandey, a senior studying computer science.
The judges came from two companies, Honeywell and Education at Work. Both companies have strong connections with ASU, with Education at Work holding an office in the Memorial Union and the Honeywell Innovation Hub launching in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering.
"Multiple clubs got to collaborate together to bring an event for students," said Karla Estrada, one of the judges from Education at Work.
There were three parts to the event. The first part was the presentation. Competitors pitched their product and explained the cost to the judges. They had to convince the judges their product was better than that of competitors.
The next step was question and answer, where judges grilled the participant with questions about their margins, experience and potential customers. Finally, and in true Shark Tank style, the judges determined whether or not they would invest in the product. In this section, the students also got advice on their product and what it needs to make it in business.
This event was a hands-on way to show participants what they need in order to get their products launched and put into the business sectors. ASU positions itself as a hub of innovation, and this event gave students practice presenting their ideas outside the University.
"Most of the people who are currently signed up are representing research projects that were tailored to fit the presentation guidelines," said Michael Bustamante, the organizer of the event and a doctoral student studying materials science and engineering.
Two teams participated in the event to show off their designs. One team created an automated laser powder bed fusion robot. This robot automatically moved and deposited metal powder. This metal powder was then hit with a laser in order to melt the metal and fuse it with the other metal aspect. This entire process was done autonomously.
The second team presented a device that used calorimetry, a technique for measuring heat, specifically to work with non-oxides. This project was designed to be donated, and not have any financial gain from its creation. This idea made the judges back out due to having no set business plan.
This event is one of many examples of the innovation that is seen from the students at ASU. By offering spaces, like this Shark Tank event, ASU student groups foster new innovations every day.
"(The event) also helps those that do participate and are going to present give them a boost of confidence," Estrada said.
Edited by Sophia Ramirez, Abigail Beck and Katrina Michalak.
Reach the reporter at myerrag1@asu.edu.
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Meghana is a freshman studying informatics. This is Meghana's first semester with The State Press.
