New Syracuse Program Puts Students Inside Real-Life Shark Tank

If you’ve ever watched Shark Tank and thought, “Wait, how do they actually decide who gets the money?” Syracuse University is about to give its students a front-row seat to that exact process.

According to Syracuse.com, the Whitman School of Management is launching a brand-new program next month that will teach students how to evaluate real startup companies and help decide whether they’re worth investing in. And yes, the whole thing is designed to feel a lot like Shark Tank, minus the TV cameras and dramatic music.

How Syracuse’s Shark Tank Model Works

Whitman Dean Alexander McKelvie summed it up perfectly when he said the idea is to help students “think like Shark Tank.” Entrepreneurs will pitch their businesses to a group of real investors, and students will be right in the middle of it all, organizing the events, researching the companies, digging into market data, and weighing the risks and rewards. Their job is to make recommendations on which startups are worth backing. The money, however, stays in the hands of the investors.

“We’re just saying, ‘Hey, this is what we see with this opportunity,’” Jeff Gish, the new academic director of the program, told Syracuse.com. “Then the investors make the capital investment, or not.”

 

Who’s Investing in These Startups?

The investors will be part of a new group called the Orange Business Angel Network, which connects Syracuse University alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and friends of the school who are interested in funding early-stage businesses. Some of those investors are right here in Central and Upstate New York, including groups like Upstate Capital and New York State Ventures.

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The startups being considered are early-stage, valued under $10 million, and bringing in less than $2 million in revenue. Many of them are working in areas like artificial intelligence, technology, and specialized services. Gish, who comes to Syracuse after teaching at the University of Central Florida and running his own successful transportation company, says this program blends classroom learning with real-world pressure in a way most courses never can.

Why This Matters for Whitman Students?

“These are real entrepreneurs seeking capital, and these are real investors putting up their dollars,” he said.

For students, that means they won’t just be studying business. They’ll be living it.