Butler County Emerging Entrepreneurs Shark Tank Competition
About the Event
Join us for the Butler County Emerging Entrepreneurs Shark Tank Pitch Competition, the culmination of months of mentorship, preparation, and innovation.
This high-energy event brings together local entrepreneurs, business leaders, investors, lenders, educators, and community partners as selected finalists take the stage to pitch their businesses in front of a panel of expert “Sharks.”
Finalists will present their business concepts, growth strategies, and visions for the future, followed by live Q&A from the Sharks. Attendees will get a front-row seat to bold ideas, real-world problem solving, and the entrepreneurial talent shaping Butler County’s economic future.
In addition to the pitches, the evening will feature networking opportunities, community celebration, and the announcement of competition awards and next-step support for participating entrepreneurs.
Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, mentor, student, or supporter of local business growth, this is a must-attend event that highlights innovation, collaboration, and opportunity in Butler County.
Event Highlights
Meet The 2026 Sharks
2026 Pitch Companies - Emerging Adult Category
Camp Club Fun - Melissa McCaslin
Camp Fun Club is a full-day summer camp model that utilizes indoor sports facilities during daytime hours when they typically sit unused. By leveraging existing infrastructure such as courts, turf fields, restrooms, and parking, the program operates without the cost of building or maintaining a separate facility.
The camp serves children ages 5–12 through a structured day that includes sports, inflatables, themed activities, hands-on programming, and water attractions in a safe and supervised environment.
Designed for working families, Camp Fun Club provides reliable, full-day summer childcare that aligns with standard work schedules—something many traditional camps do not offer. The model delivers a consistent, high-quality experience for families while also creating new daytime revenue opportunities for facility partners.
Secure-Transmit - Angela Foglia
Secure-transmit provides small businesses with a simple and affordable way to send sensitive files securely without the complexity of portals, accounts, or long-term storage. It enables encrypted, compliant file transfers for any file size or number of files and works with any recipient in just a few steps.
The platform is designed for small law firms, accountants, financial advisors, creative agencies, and other professionals who handle confidential information but do not have IT teams or enterprise-level budgets.
secure-transmit fills the gap between the need to protect client data and the limited tools small businesses can realistically manage, offering enterprise-grade security in a simple, easy-to-use solution.
JEMxAI - Ethan Kinsey
We created a one-stop solution for small business marketing, social media management, and lead tracking that combines AI technology with a deep understanding of small business challenges. Our platform simplifies marketing and social media while making lead generation trackable and actionable, helping small businesses better manage their outreach and turn engagement into real opportunities.
Nvexus - Matthew Heath
Nvexus is a cloud-based software platform that helps manufacturers and distributors improve how they plan, purchase, and manage inventory.
While many companies rely on large ERP systems to run their operations, those systems often fail to enforce consistent decision-making. As businesses grow, they frequently encounter inaccurate data, inconsistent planning practices, and a reliance on tribal knowledge, which can lead to excess inventory, shortages, higher expediting costs, and cash flow challenges.
Nvexus integrates with existing ERP systems and serves as an execution layer, auditing planning data, standardizing decision rules, filtering system noise, and optimizing inventory policies so companies can operate more efficiently and predictably.
The Forge of Creation - Andrew Beers
Dream Invent Inspire is an AgTech company that created The Forge of Creation, a smart indoor hydroponic system that allows people to grow fresh food year-round at home. Powered by its AI gardening assistant, Smithy, the system monitors plant health, manages schedules, and provides nutrient guidance to simplify the growing process.
Designed for individuals, families, educators, and communities, the system helps both experienced growers and beginners grow fresh produce indoors—especially in areas with limited access to fresh food or short growing seasons.
By combining large growing capacity with simple AI automation, The Forge of Creation makes home food production easier, more affordable, and accessible to more people.
2026 Pitch Companies - Student Category
Mine A Way - Daniel Spiker, Slippery Rock University
My business monetizes off-peak, low-cost electricity by consuming power during periods when supply exceeds demand. In 2025, many natural gas power plants operated at only 40–50% capacity and experienced financial losses during 10–15% of the year due to excess electricity during off-peak hours.
By using power only during these low-demand windows, the business helps improve plant utilization and generate additional revenue for power producers without competing with household consumption or increasing local electricity rates.
Kind Kare Dancewear - Kasaundra Harvey, Slippery Rock University
Kind Kare Dancewear is a brand focused on making dancewear simple, accessible, and affordable. It serves both parents with children starting dance and experienced dancers by offering quality dancewear that is visually appealing, made with durable materials, and priced reasonably.
The brand addresses the high cost of traditional dancewear by providing dancers with the essential items they need for classes and performances at an affordable price.
2026 Emcee:
Robby Incmikoski
Our emcee began his journey as a young ball boy for the Philadelphia Eagles before building a long career in sports broadcasting. He spent 16 seasons as a field reporter and host covering Major League Baseball with the Minnesota Twins, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Texas Rangers, while also working with several other professional sports teams. A passionate baseball fan, he has visited and photographed all 30 Major League ballparks, an experience that inspired him to create a book celebrating the connection between teams, cities, and their stadiums.
Your Attendance Matters
In addition to the micro-grants awarded by the Shark’s Choice, there will be an Audience Vote. Each attendee will receive one vote, and the finalist selected in each audience-vote category will also be awarded a micro-grant.
Full Dinner and Two Drink Tickets Provided With Ticket.
Scholarship Partners:
Slippery Rock University, Butler County Community College
Event Décor provided by:
Weddings by Jeff Double
Thank You To Our Already On-Board Sponsors: Green Cabbage • 1Team Media • KeyBank • Bonus Accounting • SCORE • Thompson-Miller Funeral Home • Fun Fore All Family Fun Park • RLA Learning and Conference Center • First Commonwealth Bank • First National Bank • NexTier Bank • Huntington Bank • Butler Eagle • Total Business Solutions • Edward Jones - Jeff Geibel • Butler County Manufacturing Consortium • LWP Ballon Creations • Narrow Spaces
Early Bird good until 3/9. Includes Dinner, two drinks.
Early Bird good until 3/9. Full Table of 10 with logo reservation in preferred seating. Includes Dinner, two drinks per ticket.