After facing a “Shark Tank”-like panel of judges, two UF faculty members earned a $2,000 grant to launch their own business.
Natasha Parks and Samara Deary, family and consumer science agents with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, were awarded the grant in January from UF to start their company, which specializes in business advising, Parks said.
They won after competing against 18 other UF faculty entrepreneurs in a “Shark Tank”-style competition hosted by the institute.
The competition was a part of the Extension Entrepreneurship Program, a three-day entrepreneurial training session, Parks said.
For the program’s finale, the two presented a three-minute business pitch to a panel of judges.
“At the end of it, it was like a ‘Shark Tank’ pitch,” Parks said.
Parks, who works with the institute’s Duval County, Florida extension, said their company, Home Made Entrepreneur, will teach people how to develop business plans and marketing strategies for their own organizations.
Deary, who works with the institute’s Bradford County, Florida extension, said she and Parks grew closer as they worked on developing their business.
“We’re, like, joined at the hip,” she said.
Their company, which should launch in May, is for stay-at-home mothers, college students, small farmers and gardening enthusiasts, Deary said.
Parks said she’s looking forward to launching the company.
“It’s great that we’re now colleagues and we’re able to collaborate on something that we love and share it with others,” Parks said.
