Larson Students Pitch Products, Swim with Sharks

Walking into the Innovation Studio at Larson Middle School, you could feel the excitement as weeks of work culminated in presentations of their product ideas to Larson VIPs, or “Sharks.” The presentations’ format was patterned after the popular TV sensation “Shark Tank,” which challenges entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas and convince a panel of investors to finance the best new products that America has to offer.

One of the products pitched at Larson was “Packviders,” a concept created by the 7 & 8th grade team of Gabe Sultzbach, Cooper Batzold and Alex Wickersham, that seeks to solve a real world middle school problem of keeping your papers organized while in your backpack. The proposed product is like an accordion file keeper that fits into a standard sized backpack, and is divided up by class. Packviders will keep kids from losing homework, and will teach them invaluable lifelong organizational skills. “If you can learn to be organized in middle school, that habit will continue on in high school, college and beyond,” said Sultzbach. “Plus, you’ll get better grades because your homework won’t be missing all the time,” continued Alex Wickersham. As part of the exercise, the team entertained questions from the Sharks: Larson Asst. Principal Dave Recker, Asst Superintendent TSD Employee Services Jordan Harris, Borg Warner Manager of Business Development, Mergers and Acquisitions Dieter Fugmann, TSD School Board Trustee and Business Owner Karl Schmidt, and AlsoEnergy Senior Project Manager Chad Kern.

The Sharks asked for additional information about potential competition, target audience, iPad conformity, and the future of the product if and when schoolwork goes electronic. They also encouraged all team members to be active participants in the presentation process. “It’s important that all members of your team are able to communicate, and articulate your product and purpose,” said Shark Chad Kern. The Sharks told the team to continue to refine their product and hone their presentation and communications skills—which will take them far, regardless of the career path they choose.

To learn more about the Larson Shark Tank program and for more information from Larson Middle School, please visit http://larson.troy.k12.mi.us/.

# # #