'Warrior Den' Matches Startups, Investors at Brother Rice

» Get Patch’s daily newsletter and real-time news alerts.

You’ve heard of “Shark Tank,” the ABC reality series that matches entrepreneurs with investors?

Welcome to the “Warrior Den,” a new program announced Thursday for seniors and recent graduates of Brother Rice High School in Bloomfield Hills.

Instead of “Sharks,” the young entrepreneurs will pitch their ideas before “Warriors,” a panel of Brother Rice alums who are successful business leaders and investors, under the new program, called “Warrior Den, announced Thursday by Brother Rice President John Birney.

The panel will hear the pitches for up to $250,000 in venture capital, then serve as advisers to ensure the business plan gets off the ground and generates a return on the Warriors’ investments.

“For the past decade, we have witnessed a significant increase in student interest in entrepreneurial experiences,” Birney said in a statement. “We are blessed to have a group of alumni who are willing to offer such an innovative and unique opportunity to make a difference in the lives of our students.”

Raj Chawla, a member of the Warrior Den Fund Board, said the venture reflects his and other investors’ “tremendous confidence in the young men of Brother Rice.”

“We look forward to establishing a new tradition that reinforces the value of teaching young men to compete,” said Chawia, managing director at Strong Point Capital, a private equity firm headquartered in Troy.

“We believe that a Brother Rice education is an exceptionally valuable experience that has historically developed men of character and intelligence who have repeatedly demonstrated that they are capable of building and leading business organizations,” he said.

Here are the details:

• To be considered and receive instructions and business plan outlines, interested seniors and recent alums must register online by Dec. 1.
• Business plans are due March 1.
• The Warrior Den Fund board will review all plans and select finalists at its own discretion.
• The class of 2016 will be guaranteed at least two finalist spots.
• Six finalists will be publicly announced Monday. April 4.

Six finalists make their pitch at the “live” version of the “Warrior Den” in the gym before the entire school audience scheduled for Monday, April 18.