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Are You Working on the World’s Next Big Wellness Business Innovation? Submissions for the 2024 “Shark Tank of Wellness” Student Competition Now Open
Global Wellness Summit’s ninth annual “Shark Tank of Wellness” student competition is now open; top three finalists will compete for $10,000 in prize money at the leading conference for the business of wellness taking place in St. Andrews, Scotland this November
Miami, FL – April 25, 2024 – The Global Wellness Summit (GWS), the foremost gathering of international leaders in the multitrillion-dollar global wellness economy, is now accepting submissions for its ninth annual “Shark Tank of Wellness” student competition. The contest is open to undergraduate and postgraduate students (18 years and older) from around the world; entries will be accepted through June 30, 2024. Click to learn more.
The top three finalists and their faculty advisors all earn delegate status (valued at $5,350 each), to attend the annual Global Wellness Summit taking place November 4-7, 2024, in St. Andrews, Scotland. Accommodation and travel are also included. The invitation-only Summit gathers hundreds of leaders in health and wellness from dozens of countries. Executives of wellness, spa and beauty companies, doctors, technologists, academics, policy leaders, and investors will gather for three full days to explore the future of the $5.6 trillion wellness economy.
The three Shark Tank finalists will be announced in August. Contestants will then present their business concept in “shark-tank” style, live, on-stage in front of the GWS audience, with “Wellness Sharks” grilling the businesses’ real-world viability. The student who wins first place takes home $5,000, second place receives $3,000 and third place $2,000. Concepts can serve any sector of the wellness industry, including architecture/design, beauty, education, fitness, hospitality, medicine, nutrition, real estate, spa, technology, tourism and workplace wellness.
Last year’s first-place winner, Leah Nduati, a student from Edinburgh Business School (UK), presented her vision to democratize yoga and wellness across Africa by facilitating connections between teachers and students.
“Winning the Shark Tank of Wellness competition and attending the Global Wellness Summit was a complete game-changer,” said Nduati, founder and CEO of Yoga Experiences Africa. “It wasn’t only about the cash prize; it was also the invaluable connections, mentorship, and exposure to industry giants like Rick Stollmeyer, the co-founder of MindBody Online who is now on our board. His guidance has been transformative, steering us towards refining our tech product and amplifying our impact.”
Shark Tank of Wellness participants affect all sectors of the wellness economy. Other recent winners include Anvisha Vora and her team from the Savannah College of Art and Design (Atlanta, GA) for Heare, a portable wand using micro-vibrations on targeted areas of the ear to manage mental wellbeing and stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system. And the 2021 winner Linxin Lu and her team, also from SCAD, took first place honors for Sveet, a portable saliva test for blood sugar designed in the shape of a fortune cookie for young diabetics.
“The ’Shark Tank of Wellness’ was created to offer young entrepreneurs a platform to share their innovative business ideas with wellness industry leaders, gathering actionable feedback and insights to use as they build their prospective companies or products,” said Nancy Davis, chief creative officer & executive director at GWS. “The interactive ‘shark-tank’ experience is also one of the highlights on the annual GWS agenda.”
Students are asked to submit a Concept Submission Form detailing their viable business idea and a one-to-two-minute video presentation. Learn more here.
For more information about the opportunity to support wellness innovation through sponsorship of the 2024 “Shark Tank of Wellness” competition, contact Michelle Gamble ([email protected]). Sponsoring companies get the unique opportunity to appoint a “Wellness Shark” who will participate on the main stage during the competition.
Registration is open. First-time delegates can apply to attend here.
Media who would like to attend the GWS in Scotland can apply here.
About the Global Wellness Summit: The Global Wellness Summit is an organization that brings together leaders and visionaries to positively shape the future of the $5.6 trillion global wellness economy. In addition to an annual conference, held at a different location around the globe, GWS hosts regular in-person and virtual gatherings, including an annual Wellness Real Estate & Communities Symposium, and a series of Wellness Master Classes. GWS also produces the Global Wellness Conversations podcast and “The Doctor is INclusive” webinar series. The organization’s annual Global Wellness Trends Report offers expert-based predictions on the future of wellness that are oft-quoted in the media. The 18th annual Summit will be held in St. Andrews, Scotland, November 4-7, 2024.