If you're a fan of Shark Tank, you've probably wondered what it takes to get on the show to pitch your startup to the Sharks. Well, you'll want to listen to this week's Beat Podcast.
Brandon Andrews has the task of improving the diversity of the entrepreneurs who pitch to the Sharks. A senior consultant at Values Partnerships, he helps run the casting events that narrow down who will actually go to California to try to get money from the VCs. It would probably be all too easy to have white guys from California fill up the ranks of people pitching, but the show doesn't want to do that, according to Andrews. He and others reach out and make sure a more diverse set of people, in terms of gender, race, background and geography, all have a chance to try out. Of course, getting on stage is itself a feat, but being entertaining helps.
Listen to the whole interview, and our look at this week's big news in D.C. Innovation on iTunes or on SoundCloud below.
