Shark Tank For Change: Bergen Teens Pitch Business Ideas To Help Kenya

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — Student groups, one local and one from Kenya, helped address problems facing the East African nation, through a Shark Tank-style event, officials said.

As part of a collaboration between Waldwick High School and an organization helping Kenyan families, the Shark Tank event in April awarded more than $5,000 to students in the African country to develop market-based approaches to solve relevant challenges, local officials said.

Kenyan students researched community challenges — including menstrual hygiene management, food security and nutrition, and meeting basic needs for clothing and other items — and came up with startup business ideas to tackle them.

The students were helped by members of Waldwick High School's student-led Global Awareness Club in figuring out how to put their business plans into action, and thanks to a donation from a local charity, the winning Kenyan student entrepreneurs in the Shark Tank event were given seed capital.

"It will be very exciting to see these student-run businesses thrive," event coordinator and Waldwick schoolteacher Ted Opderbeck said.

Three groups of Kenyan students pitched their business ideas (via presentations put together with help from the Waldwick students) to a panel of judges — from both sides of the world — who decided the winners.

The first-place group, whose idea was to start a business to create reusable menstrual pads for girls in its community, won $3,000, while the second-place and third-place groups won $1,500 and $1,000, respectively. The runners-up ideas were to grow indigenous community gardens, and run a school campus thrift store selling clothing and other items.

"The students did an outstanding job presenting their pitches," coordinator Opderbeck said. "The event was a huge success. It was a wonderful learning experience for all."

Nonprofit TEEEM (The Empathy, Equality, Entrepreneurship Mission) agreed to fund the awarded seed grants, and connected the Waldwick school to The GRACE Project, the nonprofit which, in turn, connected the school to the Kenyan students.

"We've loved working with both TEEEM and the Grace Project," Opderbeck said. "They are such generous and caring people who have improved and changed lives around the world."

TEEEM founder and president Jarret Schecter said his organization is proud of the initiative's success.

"It’s great to witness young students on both sides of the Atlantic collaborating to serve vital community needs in which so little money goes so far in empowering so many," he added.

One of the Shark Tank judges, Karen Centauro — who is involved in the Waldwick Chamber of Commerce —, said her hope with the event was to bring awareness of local students helping other students.

"Being a judge for this initiative was both inspirational and emotional to be a part of," Centauro said.