The Independent Voice of Southern Methodist University Since 1915

The Daily Campus

The Daily Campus

The Independent Voice of Southern Methodist University Since 1915

The Daily Campus

The Independent Voice of Southern Methodist University Since 1915

The Daily Campus

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Brian Richardson, Contributor • March 28, 2024
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“The Sharks” on campus

Shark Tank casting call information. Photo credit: Caroline Kushner
Shark Tank casting call information. Photo credit: Caroline Kushner

Editor’s note, March 29, 3:20 p.m.: This story has been updated throughout.

Shark Tank, ABC’s breakout reality show that gives budding entrepreneurs the opportunity to pitch their products to a team of seven industry giants, held open casting calls at SMU on March 18, 2016.

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Shark Tank casting call information. Photo credit: Caroline Kushner

The SMU community jumped at the chance to pitch their ideas to the Shark Tank casting team with 30 groups, including one faculty member, waiting in the Crow building to give their pitches to the Shark Tank casting director, Scott Salyers.

Each pitch had to be 1 minute, with 10-15 minutes worth of follow up questions from Salyers and his casting team.

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Representatives from the Cox School of Business Entrepreneur program. Photo credit: Caroline Kushner

“I know that SMU is the best school in the area,” Salyers said in a phone interview before the casting calls. Having Dallas’ Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, as a ‘shark’ on the series doesn’t hurt, either.

On Shark Tank, candidates pitch their products to a team of entrepreneurs, referred to as the ‘sharks,’ in hopes of receiving additional funding.

Junior Arthur Work was pitching his product called Encase, which he has already received a small bit of funding for through SMU’s Big iDeas program. Encase is a medical case that can hold all forms of diabetic medication and can be attached to something by a clip.

“We’re making the diabetic medicine that helps prevent coma, and even death, more accessible and more portable,” Work said.

Teams should know within the following week if they have made it to the next round of auditions.

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The Buyers Marque team gathered for a picture (Edited by: Chandler Helms). Photo credit: Caroline Kushner

Update: The Buyer’s Marque App, pictured above, has made it to the second round of auditions.

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