What made you want to create this kind of opportunity on campus, and how did your experience around athletics shape that instinct to build?
I've always been drawn to creating, whether it's communities, business systems, or new opportunities. The moment it really clicked was after I took the Startup Incubator course at Wesleyan in the spring of my freshman year. I fell in love with building my company within the curriculum, and I also saw a strong desire among other students for more places to keep building ventures and to connect. I wanted to create a medium that brought student builders together while engaging our alumni network in a real way. Athletics shaped my mindset in a big way too. In sports, opportunities don't come to you unless you create them. That's true for building Wesleyan Shark Tank, but it's also just true in life.
This class is over 50% student-athletes. Why do you think athletes are drawn to entrepreneurship at Wesleyan?
Sports teaching skills that translate into the business world isn't news, but I think Wesleyan attracts a unique kind of athlete. Here, athletes typically aren't just athletes. They have several other interests and passions off the field or court. That depth of passion, and the ability to balance multiple skill sets, is something a lot of great founders have. Startups force you to wear a lot of hats, and while that can feel daunting, to athletes it's basically their average Monday. The other quality that carries over is hyper-competitiveness. I call them student-athlete-founders. They're drawn to the hustle and chaos because it scratches that competitive itch sports give you. If you're a solo founder or on a small team, the needle doesn't move unless you move it. That responsibility requires a certain character archetype, and athletes tend to have more of it.
How has the Patricelli Center created a real home for students who want to turn ideas into action?
I've had the privilege of watching the Patricelli Center go from a small office in the basement of Allbritton to its own floor over my four years here. The physical space has fostered a ton of collaboration and it's become my favorite place to work, but the real impact is the community. Entrepreneurship can feel lonely because it requires choosing an unconventional path on purpose. Wesleyan has offerings that support students at any stage, and I think about the ecosystem through my "3Cs": community, capital, and curriculum. Community comes from clubs, shared meals, and events that bring builders together across disciplines. Capital comes through grants and pitch competitions. Curriculum has expanded a lot too, with courses like Leadership and Social Innovation, Applied Entrepreneurship, Startup Incubator, and now Wesleyan Shark Tank.
Wesleyan Shark Tank isn't just another class. It's a full-credit, student-led accelerator that ends with a live pitch competition in New York in front of alumni angel investors. What does that real-world pressure and visibility add that a normal classroom can't?
There's a difference between learning about entrepreneurship and learning through it. A normal classroom can teach frameworks, theory, and case studies, and that's valuable. But the moment you tell a student that in twelve weeks they're going to stand on a stage in New York City and pitch to investors who can write a check on the spot, everything changes. The way they prepare changes. The questions they ask change. The standard they hold themselves to changes. I also think selectivity matters. Ten founders start the semester and six get selected to pitch in NYC. That competitive element mirrors the real world. Not every company gets to pitch every investor. You have to earn it. And even the founders who aren't selected still benefit from the full semester of curriculum, mentorship, and community. But the stakes-driven environment pushes everyone harder than a pass or fail ever could.
For someone hearing about Wesleyan Shark Tank for the first time, how would you describe the kinds of ventures the program is built for, and what separates a strong applicant from someone who's still just at the idea stage?
Wesleyan Shark Tank is built for student-founders who are already doing the work. You don't need revenue or a finished product, but you do need to be past the "I have an idea" phase. The strongest applicants have taken action. They've talked to customers, built a prototype, made a first sale, started testing something in the real world. The ventures are all over the map on purpose. This year we have a prediction market for social media, a junk removal company, an AI scheduling tool, a custom skincare brand. We're not looking for a specific industry or business model. We're looking for founders who have something real and are ready to take it to the next level. What separates a strong applicant is conviction and coachability in the same person. You need to believe deeply in what you're building, but also be willing to have every assumption challenged by peers, guest speakers, and investors.
As a student founder, venture intern, and someone who has even been inside ABC's Shark Tank, how has that shaped the way you think about what makes a pitch or founder compelling?
I don't have the wisdom an experienced investor has, so take this with a grain of salt, but I've been on every side of the pitch. I've pitched my own company to investors and retail buyers. I've watched founders pitch on the actual Shark Tank set. I've sat through dozens of student pitches in our class. The unforgettable ones have two components: clarity and conviction. The best pitches make you understand something quickly and then make you believe the person standing in front of you is the one who's going to make it happen. You can have the best market opportunity in the world, but if you can't communicate it simply and with genuine belief, it won't get you far. Working on the Shark Tank set and in VC reinforced that. The founders who captivate the room aren't always the ones with the best numbers. They're the ones who make you feel something. You understand the problem, you believe in the solution, and you trust the person. We tell our cohort that while the pitch is a performance, the true goal is to convince someone else to care.
How do you see entrepreneurship opportunities fitting into a bigger picture of helping students become builders, not just job-seekers?
Mindful entrepreneurship isn't just about starting a company. It's a way of thinking, and I'd argue it's the way of thinking that matters most right now. The barrier to entry to build has dropped dramatically. AI can write your code, design your site, build your financial model. The technical moat that used to separate who could build from who couldn't is basically gone. So if everyone has access to the same tools, what differentiates founders who build something meaningful? It's what can't be automated: critical thinking, empathy, communicating across disciplines, and understanding not just how to build something, but why it matters and who it serves. That's a liberal arts education. The world doesn't need more people who can use tools. It needs more people who know what's worth building in the first place. That's thoughtful leadership, and I think schools like Wesleyan are going to produce a disproportionate share of it.
How has the Wesleyan community helped make this program feel possible?
Two groups make this possible. First, faculty like Ahmed Badr '20, Marisa McClary '94, and Rosemary Ostfeld '10 supported this mission and gave us the freedom to create something new under their umbrella. It's rare for a university to hand two undergrads the keys to design and run a for-credit course with this much autonomy, and that trust is a big part of why it works. Second, the alumni network has been eye-opening. Many alumni have told us this is what they wish they had when they were here. They remember what it felt like to build without a roadmap, and they want to be the support system they didn't have. Palmer and I have connected with over a hundred alumni this year alone. That response tells you the appetite was always there, it just needed something to rally around.
