Four local entrepreneurs pitched ideas in front of a ‘Shark Tank’ judge. Here’s who won
Multimillionaire entrepreneur and “Shark Tank” panelist Daymond John was at the center of an intense pitch competition in downtown Miami on Tuesday night. But no TV cameras were present for the contest, where four participants had five minutes to make their pitch to John and three judges.
With assistance from her sister Kelly, Naples real estate broker and entrepreneur Heather Caine showed off poster board-sized cards explaining how her business, Style to Design, helps real estate professionals sell properties by enhancing the design elements of rooms in homes. Caine said she realized that many clients, mostly men, struggle to design spaces.
John, who moderated the competition, was impressed by how forthright Caine was in her pitch and candidly asked the audience a question.
“Married men, have you chosen and/or bought anything that is in the common area of the house? I’m not talking about the attic, I’m not talking about the garage,” he said.
Not one man in the crowded room had decorated their home. John saw the need for Caine’s business. She won the competition, getting six months of free office space at Mindspace, a Miami coworking office where John and 20 of his team members are developing his next business venture.
Just like Caine, Luca Dahlhausen, another participant in the pitch competition, has a real estate-related business. Realfinity focuses on empowering real estate agents to offer mortgage services and ultimately cut out traditional loan officers from the process.
“Heather, great to hear your story as a real estate agent,” Dahlhausen said as he started his pitch. “Maybe you can sign up with us after this.”
University of Miami business student Dillon Abend pitched 3rd-i, a rideshare safety app that lets riders share their locations and ride statuses with their loved ones.
Another participant, Barbara Parker, started a mental health counseling services company, BF Empowerment Center, during the pandemic and made $38,000 in the first year. It is now on track to earn $1.8 million in 2024.
Parker’s experience of being homeless in Ohio led her to assist other people dealing with mental health and other personal challenges. “We are focused on changing lives,” she said.
Each pitch was judged by Maggie Vo of Fuel Venture Capital, Justis Mendez of OneSixOne Ventures, and Eric Aaronson of The Mark Cuban Companies. The three judges took notes and even compared them with John as if they were on the set of “Shark Tank.”
In between each pitch, John offered advice for the entrepreneurs in the crowd on pitching their business. As the founder of popular clothing brand FUBU in the ‘90s, John worked to popularize a brand that eventually became a focal point of hip-hop fashion.
After the four pitches, John waited for the judges to make their decision and answered questions from social media. John believes in Miami’s growth as a potential tech hub and applauded Miami Mayor Francis Suarez’s visit to a Mindspace Miami location immediately after John’s announcement of his partnership.
John also emphasized how important diversity is to a business’ success. He sees value in Miami’s business community because of how dependent it is on the city’s immigrants.
“When you have people that think differently and look different in your organization, you get innovation,” he said.
%20Cropped.jpg)