At Riverview DECA’s Shark Tank-style camp, a business idea can start with a drawing and end with a deal. Over six one-hour sessions, elementary students create brands, build prototypes and pitch their businesses to a panel of high school DECA members. The camp introduces younger students to entrepreneurship while raising funds to help offset chapter members’ competition costs.
The program was originally designed for students in grades four through six. “It was intended to spark an entrepreneurial interest in those who may be coming into the high school business courses,” says chapter advisor Grace Seibold. Families hear about the camp through local school principal newsletters, the parks and recreation program and Riverview DECA’s social media channels.
Building a Business, One Week at a Time
Each camper is paired with a DECA mentor for the full camp. In the first session, they talk through the business the camper wants to open, then draw a logo, develop a slogan and create a color palette and dream board.
From there, the ideas become more tangible. Campers make Play-Doh prototypes to display at the final event. With their mentors’ help, they also use AI to create three-dimensional product visuals. Those developing a service make a model of a tool they would use to provide it. In later sessions, campers draw storefront blueprints, use Adobe tools to create storefront visuals and make marketing materials for their display tables.
The DECA members guide the process, but the younger students remain in charge.
“Each DECA member is told to help the camper be as creative as they can be,” Seibold says. “While they help with guidance, the students are in charge of all aspects—even if the amounts they pitch or the pricing for their items don’t make complete sense.”
In week five, campers use a prepared, fill-in-the-blank script to organize their pitches. They practice on stage and learn how to interpret the sharks’ offers so they can make a financial decision during the final show.
The Big Pitch
For the sixth session, Riverview stages its theater like the Shark Tank pitch floor. Before the presentations, families and friends attend a coffee hour and browse a gallery in the lobby, where each camper has a table showcasing their work.
A DECA member who helped teach the camp serves as emcee. Three other members play the sharks, competing to win over each young entrepreneur. Seibold looks for students with outgoing personalities and encourages them to “go ham” in pursuit of a deal.
"The kids love it when the judges fight over who can offer the best deal,” she says.
The chapter plans the outcomes in advance so each camper receives a certificate after securing a deal. It gives every participant a chance to finish the camp with a successful pitch and a moment in the spotlight.
A Fundraiser That Comes Full Circle
Riverview sets the camp fee based on other educational programs in its community. Costs stay low because the business classroom already has most of the supplies. DECA members earn service hours for volunteering, and the lead student often develops the camp into a prepared event for DECA competition. Proceeds help offset competition costs for the members involved.
Seibold has seen the experience inspire campers long after the final presentation. One student’s slime business grew into a venture that still sells at nearby craft fairs. Others have returned to the classroom as high school business students and remembered their time at camp.
“When the campers dive deep into the experience, we have seen them become great competitors and leaders later on in the chapter,” she says.
For advisors interested in trying a similar fundraiser, Riverview’s model starts with resources many chapters already have: student mentors, classroom supplies and a place to present. Six short sessions give campers time to build something of their own, while the final event lets families see how far their ideas have come.
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