Stark Tank Leaves a Lasting Impact on Sharks, Teachers, and Students

June 2, 2023

Stark Tank leaves a lasting impact on Sharks, Teachers, and Students

Stark Tank is an entrepreneurial challenge modeled after the television show Shark Tank. Our Stark area program – in its 4th year – is made possible through the generous support of local entrepreneurs and is coordinated by the Stark Education Partnership. Additional support is also provided by Junior Achievement and Strengthening Stark. This year's competition awarded $15,000 in prize money across twelve high school teams and a single award of $25,000 at the college level.

What do students think?

"It was a great learning experience; it was fun getting meaningful feedback and opinions on my idea." – Jake Charles (Safe Spot)

"The Stark Tank event allowed me to gain practice in coming up with ideas... to solve issues that people deal with." – Santiago Salvador (Sprue Goo)

Isaiah Kaiser, co-founder and CEO of Auxilium Health, won the $25k college level prize. He presented an innovative solution to wound care that could drastically reduce infections and costs.

"Winning Stark Tank is a validation of our vision and hard work at Auxilium Health. The opportunity to present to leaders in the community and receive positive feedback only strengthens our belief in what we are doing. But even more so, it’s a testament to the entrepreneurial spirit in Stark County. As a startup in Northeast Ohio, we understand the importance of community support. We’re grateful for this platform that allowed us to showcase our innovation amongst many other great entrepreneurs and innovators, and we’re excited about the potential it holds for our business to grow and contribute to the local economy and surrounding areas...”

What do teachers think?

"Stark Tank gives my students a platform to help grow their creativity and entrepreneurial spirit! The students are thrilled to gain valuable feedback from the amazing Sharks and...to dream big, bringing their ideas to life." – Amanda DeFays, High School Business Teacher

"Stark Tank has been a wonderful way to get my students excited about the concept of entrepreneurship. It challenges them to think about the importance of identifying customer problems and providing viable solutions. More importantly, it has helped me push my students out of their comfort zones to develop professional skills they will need down the line such as public speaking and critical thinking." -Michael Nieporte, High School Business Teacher

Why do our Sharks invest in Stark Tank?

"Having spent my life as an entrepreneur, being able to pass on some of the things I’ve learned to open minds is very rewarding." – Kenneth Brott, CEO Sgt. Clean Car Washes

"I invest my time and money with Stark Tank because these students are going above and beyond the norm of everyday student life with their time and energy, and that shows they genuinely care about our future and communities." – Charles Mullen, CEO, Apple Growth Partners

"The participants' willingness to take a risk, put themselves out for scrutiny and solve today's problems challenge me to do the same." – Sue Grabowski, CEO, Desidara

"Lifting young people up and giving them a chance to pave a new path is very satisfying." –William Morgenstern, Vistage Chair at Vistage Worldwide

"To Pay Forward! An Emerson quote simplified by Woody Hayes 'You can never really pay back. You can only pay forward.'" – Dr. Dominic Bagnoli, Board Chair, US Acute Care Solutions

Stark Education Partnership is a catalyst, engaging and collaborating with education, business, civic and community stakeholders to drive sustainable improvement and innovation to provide all students with education and career success. View as Webpage