The critically-acclaimed, Emmy award-winning television show “Shark Tank” on ABC has introduced millions of viewers to the world of being an entrepreneur and starting a business. How does someone think of a new product? How can engineering be used to make it? And, what leads to people wanting to buy it?
In the 10 sessions that follow, you will learn how to think like an engineer and entrepreneur to design, market, and sell a good or service. At the end of this unit, you will have the opportunity to pitch your innovation to a Shark Tank, or, real judges that will give you feedback.
Are you ready to dive in? Select an option below:
- Navigate the material by clicking on the links to the left
- Download the Student Handbook (PDF) by Clicking Here
Session Number |
Title |
Abstract |
Session 1 |
Pain Points |
You are never too young to be an entrepreneur! In this session you will explore pain points that people and communities face, and ways entrepreneurs have built successful businesses off of solutions. |
Session 2 |
Market |
Just because you think you have a solution to a problem doesn’t mean you have a successful business. In this session, you explore if your solution fits the market by completing a Value Proposition Canvas. You also learn about forms of intellectual property. |
Session 3 |
Engineering |
What do engineers do? In this session, you learn about the engineering design process and the different types of engineering. |
Session 4 |
Prototype |
How will your innovation work and what will it look like? In this session, you learn about prototypes and models by completing industrial design activities. |
Session 5 |
Entrepreneurship |
What are attributes of successful entrepreneurs? In this session, you explore elements of the entrepreneur mindset including how to learn from failure when taking risk. You are also asked to gain focus group feedback on your innovation. |
Session 6 |
Selling & Target Market |
How do you sell your innovation? In this session, you consider your target market and market segment. You also apply the laws of demand and supply to identify a price point. |
Session 7 |
Advertising |
How are you going to promote and sell your product? In this session, you learn about persuasive advertising techniques and the use of color to elicit emotion and reactions. Activities include storyboarding a commercial and advertisements to grab consumers' attention. |
Session 8 |
Preparing to Pitch |
How do you prepare for the pitch? In this session, you pull from the materials you’ve created to practice and rehearse your pitch to the sharks. |
Session 9 |
Pitch |
What will you do during the pitch? In this session, you learn about dos, don’ts, and giving constructive feedback to your peers. |
Session 10 |
Next Steps |
Now what? In this session, you learn about what to do after you pitch. Do you want to take your innovation to a real market? Where do you go to learn even more about entrepreneurship? |
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Produced with funds provided by Burton D. Morgan Foundation |
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*Think Tank to Shark Tank: From Engineering to Entrepreneurship is in no way affiliated with, associated with, or endorsed by Sony Corporation or Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.