Clark Tank, an annual event, offers three unique funding opportunities throughout the school year – Venture Development, Business Pitch Competition, and Marketing Pitch.
Supporting these different challenges is a robust mentoring program, speaker series with alumni entrepreneurs and successful business developers, and a past winners’ panel.
Venture Development
Venture Development is the longest-running event entering its fourteenth year. This funding opportunity spans the spring semester with final pitches in late spring. Accepted ventures are awarded an initial $100 investment from the Clark Tank Committee at the start of the journey to be used by the student. Participants are emerged in mentoring from Clark entrepreneurship faculty and staff, as well as, alumni and successful entrepreneurs. Other events related to Clark Tank – Venture Development include Clark Collective-sponsored popups, an intensive prep class with guests, pitch practice, venture development workshops, and other venture development activities.
At the end of the journey, the Clark Tank participants earn the opportunity to present to a judging panel of alumni, community entrepreneurs, faculty, and past ClarkTank winners, for a chance to be awarded additional venture funding up to $5000!
Business Pitch Competition
This Clark Tank challenge helps students design a pitch that will wow angel investors and venture capitalists. All participants of the Clark Tank – Business Pitch Competition will be provided with tools and resources to help develop their concepts and ideas. Additionally, this challenge will help students explore their market, understand their customers and competitors, and develop a top-notch funding pitch. As with the Venture Development opportunity, the Business Pitch Competition also provides an intensive seven-week prep class (with credit) with guests. At the end of the course in late spring, participants will pitch to a distinguished panel of judges made up of venture capitalists and angel investors.
Marketing Pitch
The Clark Tank – Marketing Pitch Competition is a new addition for 2023. Through the generous donation and guidance of Debra Harrsch ’80, the marketing pitch competition has become a yearly Clark Tank event. Students pitch their marketing campaign and plan to a panel of alumni and community marketer judges to win the top prize of $1000.
Clark Tank Committee
Teresa Quinn, Jen Plante ’00, Julie Bolduc, Jose Castro ’22, and a student representative.
A special thanks to Samantha Goodman ’11, Michael Goodman, and Swing Issues Media for additional funding.
Past Clark Tank
Watch for upcoming announcements on E&I Instagram and our student-run website for Clark Tank 2024!
Tentative 2024 Dates:
January 16 – March 1, 2024, Clark Tank Venture Development with pitch finals on April 5, 2024
March 11 – April 4, 2024, Clark Tank Marketing Pitch with pitch finals on April 4, 2024
March 11 – April 29, 2024, Clark Tank Business Pitch Competition with pitch finals April 29, 2024
Venture Development
Clark Tank Venture Development received 36 applications in October of 2023. Of the 36, 24 ventures were accepted to compete in the months-long challenge. At the end of the first round, 18 semi-finals pitched to the Clark Tank Committee on February 10, with 12 student ventures advancing to finals on February 24, 2023.
Funding Winners
- Millman Management, co-owners Moses Millman ’24 and Henry Reyes ’24, 1st place judge funding $3000, media production
- Schweitzer Studios, owner Max Schweitzer ’22, ’23, 2nd place judge funding $2000, artist
- The Umpire Channel, creator Noah Katz ’26, 3rd place judge funding $1500, multimedia
- VJSnapp, owner Vijha Yadav ’23, 4th place judge funding $1000, photographer
- Dragon Ink, owner Claire Grant ’24, Community Impact Award (Christina Bai ’12) $500 and Clark Tank Committee award $500, artist
- Helping Hands, owner Jonathan Tamen ’26, Community Impact Award (Christina Bai ’12) $500, non-profit
- Kindly Anonymous, owners Elena Perez ’24 and Liam Tobin ’23, Clark Entrepreneurship Club Award $250, community engagement
Additional Clark Tank Venture Development 2023 Finalist Participants
- Beaver Street Bikes, Nuri Rosen ’23
- Asgard Outdoor, Biqiang Zhou MBA ’23
- Send a Song, Max Sormanti-Bloom ’25
- Reflect the Youth, Xio Alvarado ’26
- Rhya’s Crochet Village, Rhya Sinnappen ’23
- Sadie’s Sweet Shoppe, Sadie Kaim ’24
- Health Ya’Self Juicing, Nate Bethancourt LARC
Clark Tank Venture Development 2023 Judging Panel
Debra Harrsch ’80, president and CEO of Brandwidth Solutions
Christina Bai ’12, Philanthropist, Entrepreneur, and Investor
Brad McNamara ’13, CEO & Founder of Morrissey Market and Freight Farms
Thomas Mueller ’22, ‘MBA’23, Clark Tank Alumni ’19
Briana Azier ’05, Owner of Bri’s Sweet Treats
Clarissa Ko ’25, Entrepreneurship Club Representative, Clark Tank Alumni ’22
Clark Tank Venture Development Finals February 24, 2023 – Video
Business Pitch Competition
Clark Tank Business Competition 2023, mentored five ventures with seven Clark student entrepreneurs through a six-week course. At the end of the course, all participants pitched to a distinguished panel of judges on February 27, 2023.
Funding Winners
- The Umpire Channel, creator Noah Katz ’26, 1st place judge funding $1100, multimedia
- Colors of the Wynned, owner Wynne Dromey, 2nd place $250, artist
- stayjustintime.com, owners John D’Eufemia ’23, Dylan Harloff ’23, and Mikey Schiappa ’23, 3rd place judge funding $125
- Tier Pro Wrestling, owner Alec Tarnowski ’23, runner-up funding (Ryan Cohen ’18), $100, promotion
- ParentLock, owner Rowan Turner ’26, runner-up funding (Ryan Cohen ’18), $100, app design
Clark Tank Business Pitch Competition 2023 Judging Panel
Greg Montemurro, Founder of Capital Z and Operations Coordinator at DCU FinTech Innovation Center
Brad Kern, Operating Partner at Andreessen Horowitz
Katie Cella ’15, President of Bixal
Rick Treitman ’73, Entrepreneur in Residence at Adobe
Ryan Cohen ’18, founder of Top Shelf Cannaseurs and Kind Run Delivery
Clark Tank Business Pitch Finals February 27, 2023 – Video
Marketing Pitch
The Clark Tank Marketing Pitch Competition is a new addition for 2023. Through the generous donation and guidance of Debra Harrsch ’80, the marketing pitch competition will become a yearly Clark Tank event. Students pitched their marketing campaign and plan to a panel of alumni judges on February 23, 2023, to win the top prize.
Clark Tank Marketing Pitch 2023 Funding Winner
- Schweitzer Studios, owner Max Schweitzer ’22, ’23, $1000 artist
Additional Clark Tank Venture Development 2023 Finalist Participants
- Millman Management, Mose Millman ’24 and Henry Reyes ’24
- Asgard Outdoor, Biqiang Zhou MBA ’23
- Guinea Pig Gals, Jade Newman ’24
- VJSnapp, Vijha Yadav ’23
- Health Ya’Self Juicing, Nate Bethancourt LARC
Clark Tank Venture Development 2023 Judging Panel
Wynne Dromey ’25, Colors of the Wynned
Emilee Cocuzzo ’18, MBA ’19, Adjunct Professor and Senior Consultant to Booz Allen Hamilton
Tim Hally ’19, MBA ’20 Adjunct Professor and Owner of Munq Creative, LLC
Venture Development
- Colors of the Wynned, owner Wynne Dromey ’25, judge funding $2000 Artist
- Brooklyn Things, owner Henry Reyes ’24, judge funding $1500, sells thrifted sneakers, jewelry, and clothing to customers online and through in-person sales
- Eshaillustrations, owner Esha Shetty ’22, judge funding $1500
- SquidInk, owner Lara Jordan ’23, judge funding $1200, South Asian artist, selling tangible art with original unique art
- Bibo Drinks, owner Elli Mouchtaridou ’24, judge funding $1000, professional beverage catering business
- Book EZ, co-owners Chris Nguyen ’23 and Naveed Sattar ’23, judge funding $1000, recycled textbooks
- Plantasia, owner Emily Steiger ’23, judge funding $1000, plants
- Winklas Works, owner Rachel Winkler ’23, judge funding $800 controversial art
- Beads by Becky, owner Becky Caswell-Shacham ’24, judge funding $800, jewelry
- Haley’s Handmades, owner Haley McCurry ’22, judge funding $750, jewelry
- Scavenger Ventures, designer Clarissa Ko ’25, judge funding $750
- Safety Spray, co-owners Adam Rotem ’25 and Sasha Cohen ’25, judge funding $550
Additional Clark Tank Venture Development 2022 Participants
- Cayetana Rodriguez
- Idriss Laouali Abdou
- Bailey Schiering
- Andrew Pimental
- Bryon Lind
- Kasandra Thach
- Cassandra Meyers
- Sumeyra Gunduz
- Rosie Cohen
- Sonny Siemenski
- Sophie Phelan
- Yvanna Torres
- Sage Rumery
- Zhihao Feng
- Aniket Pandey
- Prasta Pokhrel
- Amal Ahmed
- Natalie Ward
Clark Tank Venture Development 2022 Judging Panel
Debra Harrsch ’80, president and CEO of Brandwidth solutions
Ulysses Youngblood, adjunct faculty, owner of Major Bloom
Gari De Ramos ’21, ’22, founder of Radical in Progress
Tim Hally ’20, ’21, co-owner of Munq, LLC
Rosie Gallant, Director of Employer Engagement at Clark University
App Design Challenge
- Mahdi Boulila and Caleb Kluchman – Clark organizations and small business app, $500 judge award
- Martina Villanueva – Magpie collects retail app, $250 judge award
- Sean Christy – men’s health and wellbeing app, $250 judge award
- Nik Sokol – PTSD mental health app, $100 judge award
Additional Clark Tank App Design Challenge 2022 Participants
- Jared Brudner
- Clarissa Ko
- Chris Nguyen
- Aniket Pandey
Clark Tank Venture Development 2022 Judging Panel
Tracy Deforge, founder and partner at The Players’ Impact
Crysta Spitzfaden ’19, developer of Fresh Food Waster app
Alex Turgeon ’16, ’17, Booz Allen Hamilton and app developer
Terrasa Ulm, Professor of Practice Clark University Game Design
Dilasha Shrestha ’22 computer science major and Digital Manager of E&I Program
Ureka Challenge 2021 Participants
- Pennywise PPE Protection, owner Ethan Lutz ’21 Judge funding $4000 Produces a germicidal copper-lined bag that prevents cross-contamination buildup of PPE.
- Radical in Progress, founder Gari De Ramos ’21 Judge funding $3000 A social enterprise serving as a one-stop-shop for social justice education.
- No Worries Skincare, owner Julia Dantzler ’24 Judge funding $2500 An affordable way to treat your skin and the environment with the respect they deserve.
- Magpies Collect, owner Martina Villanueva ’23 Judge funding $1700, Ureka Committee funding $500 Aims to bring happiness to all, in the form of stylish and affordable fashion accessories. Instagram
- Selfcare with Vi, owner Victoria Pastor ’24 Judge funding $1500 Produces a natural eyelash serum and self-care boxes.
- Worcester Free Fridge, founder Lucy Barrett ’21 Judge funding $1000 Community fridges providing channels for fresh, healthy food to our marginalized citizens.
- Charied Away, owner Charisma Nguyen-Lai ’22 Judge funding $1000 Artwork and design produced in the form of stickers and greeting cards.
- The Empower Yoga Project, owner Melanie Adams ’22 Judge funding $800 Inclusive and trauma-conscious movement for healing, embodiment, and resilience.
- Economically Girly, owner Da’Vyana Williams ’24 Judge funding $500 Providing gorgeous press-on nails no matter the occasion or budget.
- Dough Is Me, owner Madeline Steigman ’24 Ureka Committee funding $500, 3rd place crowdfunding $500, rename funding $500 Homemade high-quality baked goods to homesick college students at an affordable price.
- What We Leave: A Caretakers Guide to an Ill Planet, author Jens Peterson ’24 1st place crowdfunding $1500 Environmental issues, their causes, and solutions to be effective caretakers of this planet.
- Tsara & Soa, owners Tsanta Rakotoarisoa ’21 and Wuzhenjun Xue ’21 2nd place crowdfunding $1000 Provides vanilla from Madagascar that supports sustainable development and climate resilience.
- GoRamen, owner Justin Zay ’24 Providing affordable after-hours food options for Clark students.
- Generation ZE, founder Jacqueline Ricketts-Hagan ’21 A Generational information website
- Solace Handicrafts, owners Maseeng Masitha ’21 and Maria Masood ’21 Imported handicrafts from around the world.
Ureka Challenge 2021 Judging Panel
Debra Harrsch ’80
Adi Tibrewal MBA ’05
Vicky Marino ’08
Trevor Tarnowski ’20
Ulysses Youngblood (Adjunct Faculty)
Keith Miller ’88
Nathayla Castro ’18, MBA ’19
Ureka Challenge 2020 Participants
Santander Bank partnered with Ureka Challenge 2020 to provide additional funding for Clark’s first-generation entrepreneurs, as well as, all Ureka participants. This was a one-time initiative from Santander Bank as outreach to supporting young first-generation entrepreneurs.
- Taalo Co.: Founder Suijhan Ghimire ’23 – is a socially and environmentally aware company established to employ Kamlari (bonded slaves) in rural Nepal, and using scrap textiles to produce accessories. Taalo was awarded $4000 in additional funding.
- Shunu Co.: Founder Trevor Tarnowski ’20 and Hector Miron ’19 is a drop-off shoe-cleaning service. Shunu was awarded $3000 in additional funding.
- Back Alley Clothing: Founder Alli Jutras ’20 is an artistically curated vintage, thrifted, and upcycled clothing business. Back Alley Clothing was awarded $2500 in additional funding.
- Crafted Pulled and Poured: Founder Allison Green ’23 is a handcrafted metalsmithing company providing unique, high-quality jewelry pieces. Crafted Pulled and Poured was awarded $2500 in additional funding.
- Megan’s Mehendi: Founder Megan Balani ’23 provides custom Mehendi. Megan’s Medendi was awarded $2500 in additional funding.
Additional Funding Winners:
- Philip Tran Photography: Founder Philip Tran ’23
- A PLUS Tea: Founder Tommy Li ’21, Michael Lu ’21, Wentao Li ’21
- Margaretes: Founder Margarita Perez ’22
- Bralettes by Melanie: Founder Melanie Adams ’22
- The Eunz Experience: Founder Eunice Dolette ’21
- Prof Presence: Founder Owen Mortner ’20
- Unity within the Community: Founder Fido Hernandez ’23
- Work Flow Coffee: Founder Logan Rosell ’23
- Sapience News: Founder Mitchell Mondro ’20
Ureka Challenge 2020 Judging Panel
Adi Tibrewal ’05 MBA
Ulysses Youngblood Adjunct Faculty
Chris Solea Juliani ’93
Crysta Spitzfadden ’19
Ureka Challenge 2019 Participants
- DZ Marketing: Founder Valerie Diaz ’19 focuses on digital content, graphic design, and social media management. Diaz also is CEO and co-founder of Shirt Shack + Co., an apparel company that spreads good vibes and positivity.
- Solar for Superheroes: Krissy Truesdale ’19 created her business to identify effective and affordable solar adoption strategies for a wide demographic, including homeowners or renters.
- Composers Connect: Thomas Mueller ’22 connects film directors with composers who can create original music that syncs perfectly with their film.
- Kava Kraze: Crysta Spitzfaden ’19 and Co. want to bring the Clark community together through events featuring Kava tea drinks, made from the roots of the Kava shrub of the Pacific Islands. Categorized by the FDA as a supplement, Kava has an effect similar to CBD, relaxing the muscles while causing the drinker to become more talkative and social — without alcohol.
- TechSmart: Sameen Azad ’20 and Co. created a venture to provide technological solutions for mobile devices and laptops.
Kava Kraze also won the People’s Choice award, and Margaretes, a jewelry company founded by Margarita Perez-Maza ’22, was presented with the Ureka Committee Choice award.
Ureka Challenge 2019 Judging Panel
Daysha Williams ’16
Victoria Mariana ’08
Amanda Barker, ES&P/M.A. ’11
Rick Treitman ’73
Andres Gvirtz ’18, Compact Copters: Compact Copters produces autonomous drones whose primary purpose is to value solar fields. Their long-term goal is to approach major solar and pipeline producers to showcase how their drone can do the same inspections they need at a fraction of the cost.
- Anika Kreckel ’17 and Max Kreckel, Wholly Cow!: A business that increases the availability of local, responsibly raised beef for restaurants in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Wholly Cow! sources locally raised beef from farmers and sells select cuts or a whole cow to chefs. This concept takes advantage of the rising support for farm-to-table dining.
- Daysha Williams ’16, AsanaRa: Founded in 2015, AsanaRa is a Sole Proprietorship that provides goods and services to encourage alignment of the mind, body, and soul, primarily for the black community. The business sells shea butter-based holistic care products.
- Mitchell Mondro ’18 and Lewis Mariano, UMass Lowell, Gains to Go: Gains to Go, a healthy food truck concept that caters to people looking for nutritious, portable food choices after working out.
