Entrepreneur and ‘shark’ on ABC’s Shark Tank show to offer insight to startups, investors
Shark Tank fans can join the entrepreneurial feeding frenzy this October 19 in scenic Bend, Oregon with keynote presenter Daymond John, entrepreneur and ‘shark’ on ABC’s hit business reality show. This is Daymond’s first appearance in Oregon. In the day long event, ten finalists in a business plan competition will pitch their business ideas to an audience of angel investors at the 9th Annual Bend Venture Conference, held at the Tower Theatre.
In a quintessential rags-to-riches story, Daymond John has been both an entrepreneur and investor. Nearly twenty years ago, this Queens NY teenager saw an opportunity in an underserved market and founded hip hop clothing company FUBU (For Us, By Us). Daymond continued for two years in his day job at Red Lobster, and eventually even mortgaged his house to build the company. In creating the FUBU brand, Daymond pioneered the integration of fashion, pop culture, and music—successful branding techniques that only now seem common. From mere concept, he steered FUBU to a global fashion powerhouse with peak annual sales over $350 million, learning how to develop a strong business team and manufacture on a global basis.
Now Daymond is an investor ‘shark’ on ABC’s business reality TV show, Shark Tank, which premieres its fourth season on Friday, September 14th. In his starring role, he frequently offers marketing, branding, and product advice to the promising entrepreneurs who pitch their ideas to a panel of five angel investors. Along the way, Daymond has accumulated over $4 billion in global product sales. He notes that he’s especially pleased with the fact that MBA professors are building Shark Tank into their educational curriculums.
Daymond combines marketing consulting, writing and motivational speaking with his roles as entrepreneur and investor. He is the author of best selling Display of Power and The Brand Within, which explore loyalty marketing and celebrity power. A sought-after speaker, Daymond shares his insight on the topics of motivation, entrepreneurship, business negotiations, and marketing. At BVC, he will share his personal American Dream story, his investment philosophies, and what entrepreneurs need to know to be successful.
“Daymond John lives and breathes the startup environment,” said EDCO Venture Catalyst Manager Jim Coonan. “As an entrepreneur turned investor, we expect him to share his hard-won advice for both entrepreneurs and angel investors. We’re also pleased that he’s agreed to replicate his Shark Tank role by serving on a panel that asks competing startups the decisive questions.”
The Bend Venture Conference offers two paths to become a presenting finalist on the Tower stage October 19th. Concept companies (those in the preliminary stages, honing their concept and technology) will be winnowed down to 10 or 12 and then the September 27th PubTalk audience will select the top five who go on to present at the Conference. The investment arm of the Conference, the BVC, LLC, selects the top five Launch Stage companies (those further along, possibly revenue positive) in a series of weekly meetings over two months. The Launch Stage category offers big prize money ($250,000 in 2011) in the form of an investment, while the BendBroadband Concept Stage award winner receives a $10K grant—just the amount many startups need to get to the next level.
About the Bend Venture Conference
Now in its 9th year, the Bend Venture Conference (BVC) is the premier regional event connecting seed and early stage companies with investment opportunities and attracts more than 300 of the Pacific Northwest’s top entrepreneurs, investors, and business leaders. Held at the historic Tower Theatre in downtown Bend, Oregon, the event includes intimate pre-conference seminar opportunities, a pre-conference networking reception at Broken Top Club, the full day venture conference on October 19, and an opportunity to explore Bend’s lively hotel, restaurant and downtown scene. See www.bendvc.com for more information.
About Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO)
EDCO is a private non-profit corporation founded over 30 years ago and dedicated to building a vibrant and thriving regional economy by attracting new investment and traded-sector jobs (manufacturing, professional, headquarters and high technology businesses) through marketing, recruitment and substantive assistance to existing companies. Learn more about EDCO at www.edcoinfo.com.
