Teens to pitch ideas to local ‘Shark Tank’

LAKE WORTH — On “Shark Tank,” ABC’s wildly successful realit y show, budding entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to intimidating titans of industry in hopes of landing much-needed investment capital.

The stakes are high, the pressure intense.

A similar version of the show, but without TV cameras, the insane pressure, or millions of people watching, will play out Thursday at Lake Worth’s Barton Elementary School.

Thirteen teen entrepreneurs, all from The Lake Worth Youth Empowerment Center, will make a three-minute presentation and show a 20-second commercial to tout their business in front of a group of elected officials, business owners and community leaders.

“The idea is for the community to embrace these kids and volunteer their help to support them,” said Veleke Brown, CEO and founder of E-Roadmap, a West Palm Beach non-profit that works to empower kids through social development and entrepreneurial skills. “It’s to let the community know this is what these kids have been doing with their time and it’s been positive.”

In January, For The Children, a nonprofit day care and after-school center in Lake Worth, reached out to E-Roadmap to help show kids the importance of running their own business and how they could go about doing it.

“The Lake Worth area is (economically) depressed and jobs that have typically been reserved for kids have been taken by parents,” Brown said.

Reginale Durandisse, For The Children founder and CEO, said Lake Worth kids don’t always realize they have a skill to sell.

“This will give them a platform,” Durandisse said.

E-Roadmap worked with 13 kids for 12 weeks. All the kids are enrolled in For The Children’s after-school program.

“We want to introduce kids to entrepreneurship early on,” Brown said. “Many have never presented on a stage before in front of people. One of our kids was recently struggling with reading. This is an empowering opportunity for them.”

Now, all that work will be on display Thursday from 6-8 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Brown said the types of businesses run the gamut: a makeup line; furniture refurbishing; traveling nail tech.

“One kid is trying to get kids off the street by letting them play games in a supervised environment,” Brown said.

Four judges will be on hand to offer advice: Barton Elementary Principal Denise Sanon; Seabron Smith of The TED Center; James Green, director, Palm Beach County Community Services Department; and Aundra Lowe, Lake Worth’s recreation athletic coordinator.

Durandisse acknowledged the kids are a little nervous.

“They’re anxious, but they will be fine,” she said. “These kids are learning that they’re valuable.”

Lake Worth Commissioner Andy Amoroso said he plans to attend — with his checkbook.

“It’s important to support these kids,” he said. “For young kids to pitch their ideas ... we need more of that.”

As for advice, Amoroso, who has run a novelty shop off Lake Avenue for more than 20 years, said he would tell the kids to be flexible.

“This business is nothing like it was when first st ar ted,” he said. “Have a vision, but allow your vision to morph into what it could be.”

Brown said the event could help change the perception many people have of kids who are being raised in poor areas.

“The overall goal is to get the community to engage with these kids,” Brown said.