Congratulations to Year 11 students, Tom Clayton, Jaiden Carter, Trent Horak and Charlie McIntyre, who have won the ‘Shark Tank E-School’ competition with their retractable surf leash, Sub-Strap.
Sub-Strap was devised after Trent identified the common problem of his surf leash getting tangled around his limbs and surfboard fin when out on the water. He presented the opportunity to the rest of the group, who then collaborated to create Sub-Strap as part of Wesley NEXT micro-credential ‘Shark Tank E-School’.
The ‘Shark Tank E-School’ micro-credential encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to ‘think big’. The program also unpacks the skills and creative thinking needed to be successful as an entrepreneur.
Over two terms, they researched the market, competitors and costs, to create a prototype of a retractable surf leash based on a lawnmower start pully system. Utilising a recoil mechanism the strap is taut at all times to make sure performance is unaffected. The product is 3D printed and comes fully assembled for easy installation, with a sticky base to allow the consumer to choose where it goes on their board. The group then pitched their idea to the Shark Tank judges as the final stage of the program.
After taking out the state competition, the students went up against nine teams in the national finals. The grand prize was $1,600 for them to further develop their product and we can’t wait to see how it evolves.
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