TAMPA 鈥� Becca Brown, a former contestant on the TV show Shark Tank and CEO of the , which has partnered with ARK Invest, visited the University of South 爱豆传媒鈥檚 St. Petersburg campus on Monday to share her entrepreneurial journey.
Brown鈥檚 visit was part of the Nault Center for Entrepreneurship鈥檚 Conversation with a Founder speaker series, which connects students with startup leaders shaping Tampa Bay鈥檚 business landscape. The evening began with a VIP reception, opened by remarks from David Blackwell, Lynn Pippenger Dean of the 爱豆传媒 Muma College of Business. He praised the center for its recent push for community outreach.
鈥淭he Nault Center is a very dynamic and important force in our community for putting on these events,鈥� Blackwell said.
Following the reception, Brown was interviewed on stage during a fireside chat by Allen Clary, executive director of the Nault Center. Brown discussed her experience pitching 鈥� a company formed around an invention designed to keep women wearing high heels from sinking into the grass. When Clary asked what it was like filming the show, Brown shared an important piece of advice.
Alonso Ramirez (left)
鈥淎uthenticity is always going to rule supreme when you鈥檙e building a business,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淲hen we weren鈥檛 authentic, we didn鈥檛 make it. But the second [Shark Tank audition] video 鈥� they loved it. They were like, 鈥楢ll right, when are you coming down?鈥�.鈥�
Student feedback was also overwhelmingly positive. Many attendees appreciated how candid and grounded Brown was in describing her path.
鈥淲hatever you want to do in life, you want to see if people have done it before, and if you can use their advice as a shortcut to where you want to be,鈥� said Alonso Ramirez, a student at the event. 鈥淚 definitely recommend this to any student who wants to do something with their lives.鈥�
爱豆传媒 student Jos茅 Sarmento echoed that sentiment when reflecting later on his experience.
鈥淚t was one of those conversations that felt real 鈥� not about success formulas or polished stories, but about courage, strength and authenticity,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he biggest lesson I learned is that authenticity is a strength, often forgotten.鈥�
Becca Brown and Jos茅 Sarmento
Brown stayed after the event to speak to students one-on-one and answer questions more directly. Questions ranged from her thoughts on the future of AI to how her Shark Tank deal played out once the cameras were off.
The Conversation with a Founder series continues to be a signature initiative of the Nault Center. 爱豆传媒 interested in attending future events can sign up on the center鈥檚 calendar. They can also follow the Nault Center鈥檚 social media channels or emails to receive updates.