What distinguishes someone with great ideas from a successful entrepreneur? JWU Online students who plan to pitch their business ideas at JWU Sharkfest 2026 know that entrepreneurial success comes from having the passion and perseverance to turn ideas into action. Before practicing their pitches to compete at Sharkfest, each student works extensively, one-on-one with Jeff Binczyk, Director of The Launch Pad, to refine their business plans.
JWU Sharkfest Symposium, the annual competition at which students pitch their entrepreneurial business ideas, will be held for JWU on-ground and JWU Online students on March 10, 2026 (3pm – 5pm) at the Johnson & Wales Downcity campus, in the John J. Bowen Center’s Bowen Presentation Room. Read on to learn more about the JWU Online students who are preparing to compete and the unique, often deeply personal entrepreneurial business ventures they will pitch.
Meet the JWU Online Sharkfest 2026 Aspiring Entrepreneurs
Varlene C. Atkinson ’29, DBA – Organization Development
Business Pitch: KDD Consulting Services, LLC – Empowering Excellence Together
KDD Consulting Services, LLC, is a business consulting and mentorship firm focused on empowering aspiring entrepreneurs, small business owners and young professionals with clarity, structure and strategic direction. The venture provides services such as business planning, professional development, mentorship programs and organizational strategy support.
What makes KDD unique is its holistic approach of blending real world operational experience, leadership development and purpose driven coaching to help individuals build sustainable systems — not just ideas. The business is currently in progress, with structured program launches planned throughout 2026.
“Participating in Sharkfest 2026 is both exciting and affirming for me. As a DBA student, I am learning how theory, strategy and lived experience come together to create meaningful impact. This opportunity allows me to share not only my business idea, but my belief that entrepreneurship can be a powerful tool for empowerment, transformation, and generational growth.”
Madison Drew ’28, B.S.B.A. – Business Administration
Business Pitch: The Oasis — Reclaiming Your Health With a Retreat Experience
The Oasis intends to be an accessible, non-toxic wellness retreat, designed to help people reset from chronic stress, burnout and an unhealthy lifestyle while gaining practical tools they can use in everyday life. To reduce the startup risk while prioritizing high quality programming and an exceptional guest experience, The Oasis will partner with existing hotels or inns.
Designed to be non-toxic from the ground up, The Oasis will incorporate filtered air and water, low-VOC materials, natural fibers, and third-party tested products to create a safe and calming environment. This venture is unique in its emphasis on personalization, education, and inclusion, beginning with pre-arrival assessments to help tailor each guest’s experience to allergies, fragrance sensitivities, autoimmune conditions and dietary needs.
Beyond relaxation, the guests will be provided with personalized action plans and practical skills, such as non-toxic product selection and nutrition basics, as well as take-home resources that support long-term behavior change. Accessibility remains a core pillar, with plans to accept HSA/FSA funds, payment plans and medical insurance that will position the retreat as preventive care rather than a luxury indulgence. The Oasis is currently seeking a hotel or inn that resonates with the non-toxic wellness concept, to launch this unique venture.
“After experiencing my own health struggles, I feel both excited and committed to creating a wellness space that is inclusive, non-toxic and empowering — one that helps others feel supported in ways I once searched for.”
Nicole Ferraro ’26, M.S. – Nutrition
Business Pitch: Total Treats Protein Cookie
Total Treats Protein Cookie is a prepackaged cookie that is set to beat out the current “better for you” protein snacks. This cookie is for people looking for a convenient, satisfying and delicious way to hit their macros (carbohydrates, fats and proteins), as well as for people who are just looking for a healthier snack or dessert.
Traditional protein bars and snacks can be chalky and tasteless, all while secretly hiding unhealthy additives under the label of being a healthy protein source. Total Treats cookies solve this problem by being tasty, healthy, low sugar, low calorie and high protein, to satisfy anyone who is craving a cookie.
“I am excited to launch this protein cookie as I have been looking for the perfect protein snack for myself. Dedicated to my health, nutrition and fitness goals, I also love comfort snacks like cookies I am not satisfied with anything currently on the market, whether it’s due to calories, sugar content, taste or other additives. Creating this cookie has been a wonderful way to become more in touch with my fitness journey and my nutrition degree, as well as with my passion for desserts. I think everyone, fitness focused or not, will love the final product.”
Direka Gordon ’26, B.S. – Food & Beverage Entrepreneurship
Business Pitch: Hummingbird Roots & Recipes Academy
Hummingbird Roots & Recipes Academy is a culturally-rooted culinary education and food entrepreneurship venture designed to reconnect families and communities with scratch-made cooking, heritage flavors and food confidence. The concept blends hands-on cooking classes, pop-up dining experiences, youth culinary programs and community-centered events, with a strong emphasis on accessibility for military and working families.
What makes the venture unique is its integration of cultural storytelling, education, and entrepreneurship teaching, not just how to cook, but why food matters across generations and cultures. The venture is already underway through pop-ups, collaborative events, and pilot classes, with continued expansion planned throughout 2026.
“Pitching Hummingbird Roots & Recipes Academy at Sharkfest is about more than winning; it is about growth. JWU Online has given me the tools and confidence to turn my lived experiences, cultural roots, and passion for food into a purpose-driven business. The true win is receiving meaningful feedback from industry professionals and knowing that more people now recognize the name Hummingbird Roots & Recipes.”
Carl E. Johnson ’26, B.S. – Fashion Merchandising & Retailing
Business Pitch: Home Du’ Jour
Home Du’ Jour brings a restaurant-quality dining experience into the comfort of your own home, without the stress of hosting or the cost of a private chef. People love the idea of cooking for friends or celebrating at home, but the planning, prep and cleanup often take away from the experience. Restaurants can be expensive, noisy and impersonal, while private chefs are highly customized and not scalable. Home Du’ Jour sits right in between.
Home Du’ Jour provides a fully curated experience: a trained host arrives at your home, cooks a set menu, sets the table, creates an ambiance with flowers and candles, serves the meal, cleans up and leaves. The customer does nothing but enjoy the moment. Because the menu is fixed, the model is consistent, efficient and scalable.
“Food was my first love. This concept was born in my mind seven years ago — Sharkfest is helping me to realize it!”
Starlisha Keith ’26, B.S. – Digital Marketing & Social Media
Business Pitch: S.E.E.D.: Transforming Opportunity, One Skill at a Time
S.E.E.D. (Sustainable Ecosystems Enriching Diversity) is a mission-driven nonprofit that empowers young people through hands-on trade education and sustainable projects. S.E.E.D, will draw upon the skills of talented tradespeople in the community to teach young people skills — including carpentry, electrical and roofing — to build sustainable greenhouses locally and in food deserts in other regions. The business plan for presentation to lenders and investors is in the final stages of preparation. The nonprofit expects to launch as soon as funding has been secured.
“I’m truly honored to share S.E.E.D. with the JWU Community. For me, this is more than just a venture; it’s a calling to serve and transform lives. With faith as our guide, we’re here to create lasting opportunities and make a real difference.”
Ramone Montesa ’27, B.S. – Psychology
Business Pitch: Montesa Enterprises, LLC – “Ramone’s Models”
Ramone’s Models is a unique modeling agency concept that helps individuals find and obtain modeling jobs throughout the United States. The core mission of Ramone’s Models is to help everyone who wants to have a modeling career, and it is founded on the principle that all individuals are beautiful on the outside as they are inside.
“It’s all about how much heart you want to put into your modeling career. No matter how tall or how small, become that model you always dreamed of being with Ramone’s Models.”
Kimberlin Royster ’26, B.S. – Culinary Arts & Food Service Management
Business Pitch: Uncorked Wine Bar and Bistro
Uncorked Wine Bar and Bistro is a unique wine bar and bistro concept featuring small-batch hand-crafted wine curations in a warm and inviting space.
“I want to introduce people to great wines that come from independent winemakers who are known primarily in their local areas. The venue will feature wines from small private vineyards. I hope to launch this innovative concept in the next year.”
Briana Torres ’26, B.S. – Food & Beverage Entrepreneurship
Business Pitch: Desserts by Bri
Desserts by Bri is a Mexican-American fusion bakery where beloved flavors meet a whimsical, Pinterest-inspired design. The concept includes a cozy dining area that will include seating that offers both comfort and functionality, with couches, armchairs and private cubbies that invite guests to savor desserts at their pace while relaxing or studying.
Desserts by Bri will launch this summer as a cottage bakery and begin building its presence by selling at farmers markets in the San Antonio and New Braunfels, Texas area.
“I am excited to share my business idea with the JWU Community and receive valuable feedback as I prepare to launch my business this summer.”
Sharkfest Reimagined
Binczyk promises, “This marquee event on the first day of the two-day College of Hospitality & Business (COHB) Connect Conference, Sharkfest 2026 will be distinctly different from Sharkfest competitions held in previous years.
“We’ve completely redesigned it, so I’m expecting a truly amazing, inclusive event that significantly improves on how it was structured in the past. We’re also welcoming an increased number of online students compared to the one online student who pitched last year.”
Out of forty applicants last year, only five finalists from on-ground and online student applicants were chosen to pitch their business plans onstage in Providence. Randy Benitez ’27, B.S.B.A. – Entrepreneurship, the first JWU Online student to become a Sharkfest finalist, placed third for pitching his revolutionary music transcription app, ReWriter.
Binczyk explains, “I started thinking about the other 35 applicants — they did all this work, submitted their applications and then didn’t get selected. That inspired my idea to have everyone who applies — online or on-ground — be a finalist. What better way to encourage students to practice their pitches and receive feedback for their ideas, than to give everyone who applies the opportunity to present them.”
Sharkfest 2026 will have separate competitions for JWU Providence on-ground, JWU Online and JWU Charlotte, which will hold its competition on a separate date. The JWU Online students will record presentations prior to the event to ensure that no connectivity issues prevent them from making their pitches.
Unlike past years, Sharkfest 2026 will not have professional judges.
Instead, students, staff, faculty, students’ friends and family attending the symposium will be able to stop by a dedicated room to watch online students deliver their pitches. Using a QR code with each student’s submission listed, attendees can provide feedback and vote for their favorites. Binczyk expects robust participation in the voting process.
Voters will be given a rubric to help them provide feedback and rank the pitches in four categories: uniqueness of the idea, rigor of the presentation’s structure, skill in delivering the presentation — including their passion and commitment to the idea being pitched — and intangibles, like which ideas voters see as most commercially feasible if they were to launch.
Based on attendees’ grading and ranking of the JWU Online presentations, grants will be awarded to the top three pitches, to fund their business ventures. Binczyk enthusiastically describes the awards this year. “Intending to evolve beyond solely monetary rewards, we’re working on a plan for finalists to participate in an entrepreneurship related event in the future, with PVD students attending in person and online students attending virtually.”
Binczyk notes, “The profile of JWU Online students who have applied to Sharkfest 2026 is exactly like that of the online students in general, who have come into The Launch Pad this past year. They have distinctive personalities, vary widely in their backgrounds and have significant work experience under their belts. They bring perspective and maturity and are incredibly dynamic. They deserve to be a part of this event as does any on-ground student.”