Furman’s Shark Tank

Calling all business majors and entrepreneurs! The Hill Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship puts on a variety of events and opportunities every year for business-driven students. 

The Hill Institute is designed to introduce students interested in entrepreneurship to the methods of owning and executing a business. The Hill Institute is also comprised of other organizations such as FUSEA (Furman University Student Entrepreneurship Association) and the Furman Angel Analyst Fellowship. You can find more information on The Hill Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship website! 

Paladin Pitch Competition

The Paladin Pitch Competition, aka Furman’s very own Shark Tank, is a program designed by the Hill Institute for Furman students to pitch a business idea to a panel of business professionals for a chance to win funding to start their business. The grand prize this past year was ~$10,000~, significant enough to get a brand new business rolling. 

This past year, Brooke Dominak ‘23, pitched her idea of To-Go-Bros, an on-campus food delivery service, similar to UberEats, exclusive to college students. Out of five incredibly qualified finalists, Brooke won the Paladin Pitch Competition and $10,000 toward the startup of her business. From there, Brooke went on to win the inaugural Southern Conference Entrepreneurship Challenge, where she beat out 10 other college entrepreneurs to win an additional $10,000 for her business. Since then, Brooke has been working hard to implement To-Go-Bros across Furman’s campus. 

One of the most amazing parts of Furman is the access to once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, just like the Hill Institute and Paladin Pitch Competition. With such funding, students can actually transform their ideas into tangible careers. Institutes at Furman provide these unique experiences that appealed to me significantly when choosing a college. 

Continue to explore all Furman has to offer, and if you happen to have an idea for a business, it may become a reality in your next four years as a Paladin! 

All the best, 

TJ