Kevin Harrington launches youth entrepreneurship program

Young people in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties may have the opportunity to learn from former Shark Tank investor Kevin Harrington. He appeared on the ABC business reality TV series in seasons one and two. 

The businessman is launching a free pilot youth entrepreneurship program through the Harrington Foundation this summer. Individuals between the ages of 12 to 18 can apply for the virtual eight-week initiative. Classes will begin in June. 

There will be two cohorts, which will be based on age range. A total of 50 students will be accepted. 

Harrington, who played a role in creating the “As Seen on TV” infomercial industry, has had a storied career. He helped launch over 1,000 products globally, which has led to more than $5 billion in sales. 

“Kevin has mentored adults all of his life and now with the onset of artificial intelligence and things changing as rapidly as they are,” Harrington Foundation director Wendy LaTorre explained, “he believes strongly that entrepreneurship is going to be the next big thing in business and that the creatives are going to win.” 

She added that Harrington will be selecting the students himself. Additionally, he will be a part of the educational experience. 

The entrepreneur has previously collaborated with Junior Achievement of Tampa Bay, which is an organization that supports local students through learning initiatives. This led to an idea, LaTorre said, to launch a program that can teach young people “how to fish.”

Emily French and Julie Bennett of the Seattle-based Lemonade Standers played a key role in developing the curriculum for the Harrington Foundation initiative. Their organization designs youth-focused experiences in entrepreneurship and financial literacy. 

“Every business class I see is based on theory and case studies,” she explained. “But, it doesn’t really give students something to create.” 

Each week, participants will learn about a different topic. Every lesson includes a story from Harrington about the subject. He has already recorded videos for the program. Students will then be presented with a real-world challenge and assignment. 

“So, they have to go out and overcome no’s,” LaTorre said. “Then, we teach them how to pitch, determine the return on investment and how to actually create a successful product.” 

She explained that the initiative will also have an artificial intelligence component to help educate youth on upcoming technologies. Additionally, participants will learn about customer acquisition. 

“The first customer isn’t luck,” Harrington said in a statement prepared for the Catalyst. “Their business is earned through resilience, rejection and relentless execution.” 

Harrington plans to attend a few of the virtual classes as well, depending on his schedule, LaTorre added. Students will present their final pitches to the investor and two other judges at the culmination of the program. The winner of each cohort will receive personal mentorship from Harrington for a year as well as a cash prize. 

She explained that the goal is to “help students determine what they want to do and how they want to do it.” The Harrington Foundation team also hopes to make an impact on children who “do not have opportunities.” 

“Once the pilot is done, we would like to scale it up much larger,” LaTorre said. “The next one we’re going to do is with veterans and we hope to start it in September.” 

To learn more about the program and the application process, visit this link.