Klarman Hall auditorium view of seats, HBS campus.

Shark Tank, Harvard Edition

Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary was at Harvard Business School Tuesday judging pitches from eight Harvard students, who competed for an investment of $100,000 and a private conversation with O’Leary himself.

The event was held at Harvard’s Klarman Hall and moderated by Reza R. Satchu, a senior lecturer at HBS and longtime friend of O’Leary. It featured student venture pitches from various fields, including technology, shoes, and property rental, The Harvard Crimson reports.

“The teachable moment, from my perspective, for all of you that are watching from the sidelines, as you watch these folks get up and commit to trying to make something happen, is what will it take for you to commit to something you care about, something that you feel passionately about?,” Satchu says.

AI CROP HEALTH OPTIMIZATION COMPANY WINS BIG

The Harvard Shark Tank-style competition went through three rounds before selecting a winner. Brandon I. Chi, CEO of Crop Diagnostix, won the $100,000 investment for his innovative company, a biotech venture which optimizes crop health through the use of AI technology.

“He’s very good at articulating his questions very directly,” Chi says in an interview post competition. “And so if you can articulate your answers pretty directly back to him, I think he responds well to that.”

O’LEARY OFFERS ADVICE TO STUDENTS

O’Leary is well-known for his brutal honesty to contestants on Shark Tank. That was no different at Tuesday’s event.

“If you get the first two right, and you don’t know how you’re going to make money, you deserve to burn in hell,” O’Leary says during the event. “And I will put you there tonight.”

But O’Leary also left Harvard students with a piece of advice.

“The hardest thing isn’t the failing because you will fail. Most entrepreneurs fail multiple times before they achieve success,” O’Leary says. “It’s to take the first step. Most people don’t take the first step.”

Sources: The Harvard Crimson, LinkedIn

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