Danville Student Wins $500 In Shark Tank Youth Competition
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA — A Danville student was declared the second-place winner Tuesday in the first-ever Contra Costa Shark Tank Youth Competition.
The contest was open to all Contra Costa County students in grades Kindergarten through 12th as a fun way to promote youth entrepreneurship. In January, 10 finalists were announced from a field of over 300 students.
The winners were announced Tuesday following the Finalist Pitch Event held at the Lafayette Public Library.
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“The Finalist Pitch Event was a wonderful culmination of over a year of planning to bring the competition to life,” said Maya Hammerman, a junior at Campolindo High School who founded the competition and served as one of the judges. “The ten finalists did an incredible job presenting their businesses to the judges and community members at the sold-out event. They have inspired many young people in our county to explore entrepreneurship.”
The first-place prize of $1,000 was awarded to Fatimah Hussain, a senior at Dougherty Valley High School in San Ramon, for her business Workout Wizard, an at-home workout app.
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“From the moment I got the finalist letter to the day I presented on the Contra Costa Shark Tank’s stage, the entrepreneurship journey has been extremely rewarding,” Fatimah said. “To win the first-place prize is a dream come true, and I hope to continue inspiring fellow youth entrepreneurs to follow their passions and never give up. The best time to build a business is now, so what are you waiting for?”
The second-place prize of $500 was awarded to Ronen Jain, a sophomore at Monte Vista High School in Danville, for his business ElderSafe, an app to improve home safety for senior citizens that helps them avoid injuries.
“I’m beyond thrilled to be one of the winners of this competition after the countless hours I’ve spent perfecting my app,” Roren said. “It was super exciting to get direct feedback from the judges and attendees about my business and how they would use it.”
The third-place prize of $250 was awarded to Archit Kundu, a fifth-grade student at Bella Vista Elementary School in San Ramon, for his business Experimental Kids. He makes toxin-free science kits to teach children the wonder of science in a safe yet fun way.
“Contra Costa Shark Tank is a great opportunity and winning third place gives me the confidence to take this business to the next level and make STEM learning fun for all the kids (5- 12 years old),” Archit said. “Also, it was a learning experience to present my views in front of such great judges and such a large audience.”
Watch the Finalist Pitch Event here:
See more videos and photos from the event at Contracostasharktank.org.
Sponsors for the competition included Chevron, Visa, PG&E, Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, Girls Crushing It and Campolindo Parents Club.
Future competitions will be announced on Instagram at www.instagram.com/contracostasharktank.
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