Shippensburg University marketing major David Brantely took home a grand prize of $300 after winning first place in SU’s Ship Tank on Thursday.

Cody Elliott, a member of the SU Activities Program Board (APB), hosted Ship Tank, which is a replica of ABC’s “Shark Tank,” for students who want to share their entrepreneurial ideas.

One student pitched his idea called “Play-9,” an indoor dog park. 

“Not to be confused with a doggie daycare,” he said. 

Brantley has a dog of his own that has degenerative joint disease and cannot play outside when the weather is harsh. Summers are too hot, and winters are too cold for his joints. Brantley wants to bring outdoor dog parks inside, so owners can spend more time with their dogs while being active.

When he was asked what he would do about liability, Brantley suggested that dogs get their shots before becoming a member.

Coming in second place was an accounting student who pitched her idea of a side business called “Joysticks and Sidekicks,’” which is a mixture of an arcade and comic book store. Her marketing strategy was to attract teenagers at shopping malls in small communities. In the end, she won $250. 

Third place of $100 went to “Surf’s Up” constructed by Josh Burda. His idea was foil boarding, which is associated with surf boards. 

Burda is a wakeboarder and decided to design a board made of hydrofoil. Typical foil boards, which are usually used competitively, run around $1,000 to $1,200. Burda plans to make his product from scratch and sell them for $250.

Bryan Riley and his colleague, pitched an idea called “College Prep.” Their proposal was to create a course which will help high school students better prepare for the debt of college. 

“Sixty thousand dollars for college, are you kidding me?” Riley said. 

The course would be an app or an e-book which will help students find opportunities to lower the amount of loans needed for college. 

“It simplifies the process and gets people really geared up for life,” Alex said.

Another pitch was led by a team called SushI, which was an idea to create a kit for sushi. 

The idea is to have fun and learn how to make sushi.

Shelley Morissette, an SU entrepreneurship professor; Misty Knight, an SU human communication studies professor; and Crystal Conzo, an SU adjunct academic adviser, were the judges of the event.

One volunteer suggested that the Shippensburg University bookstore should allow volunteers. One other student pitched the idea to have a safe space for people to park who do not have a permit.

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