Diving with sharks takes on new meaning, writes Buhle Mbonambi
Shark Tank South Africa premieres tonight on M-Net at 6pm. The business show will see South African entrepreneurs try their luck at getting the Sharks and successful business people, Romeo Kumalo, Gil Oved, Dawn Nathan-Jones, Marnus Broodryk and Vinny Lingham to invest in their businesses. The show is produced by? Kee-Leen Irvine from Rapid Blue. We spoke to her about the show and what to expect.
What was it about Shark Tank that you felt that it was needed in South Africa?
We are entrepreneurs at heart and feel strongly that stimulating entrepreneurial development is a national imperative.
So Duncan Irvine (Co-owner of Rapid Blue) was over the moon to discover the Shark Tank format and has chased relentlessly since 2008 to make it a reality on our local screens. This is totally a passion project for us. Once we’d sealed a deal with M-Net and Telkom our next big challenge was to select the right sharks.
Putting together the right team of people on the show is probably one of the most important things – what did you look for in the Sharks, that made them eligible??
It’s important to have Sharks? who are not just out for the publicity, but ?genuine about investing and mentoring entrepreneurs, who have the funds and business acumen, but who could also give a human face to the very intimidating entrepreneurial space.
Chemistry and rapport between the Sharks is very important and, after doing so many reality competitions, you were aware of this. Were you happy with how well the Sharks got on and also how their personalities shone through?
I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect group of people. They know their business and aren’t parted with their money easily, but they are human and accessible.
And while they may have engaged in a feeding frenzy now and then, they all hold one another in really high regard. The chemistry between them was great.
The calibre of contestants? Were you happy with them?
Economic circumstances have forced many people to be innovative and explore the entrepreneurial space, but it’s also important to recognise that we’re a young country and we don’t have the depth and breadth of entrepreneurial history that America has.
Were there some who had the potential to go far, but then couldn’t handle the pressure of the Sharks and the TV cameras?
We loved the entrepreneurs who applied, their passion and grit was so inspiring but we were often challenged with their inexperience in terms of their numbers, etcetera.
What I am thrilled about however is that whoever went into the tank, whether they came out with a deal or not, they all came away with strong learning and really useful information. Many of the businesses have great potential, not all could stand up to the interrogation of their numbers.
The show was riveting to record and so incredibly educational for all of us in terms of the entrepreneurial landscape.
I wish that I had someone like any one of the sharks to have guided me in our early days of business.
Let’s say you weren’t the ?executive producer on the show – would you be a Shark?
While I love supporting the creation and development of new businesses, I just don’t think I could be as good a shark as those on my panel.