The idea of the well known TV show Shark Tank, where entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to established investors, found its way among the Haitian Diaspora. 

Inspired by the TV show Shark Tank, Haiti Renewal Alliance, a non-profit based in Washington, DC, developed a similar program called the Investor’s Tank, a platform for entrepreneurs to present their business ideas that can benefit Haiti and potentially get funding. 

The first edition of Investor's Tank is being launched on June 28th in Washington DC as a special session of Haiti Business Investment Expo & Conference.

"We have quite a few friends that have projects anywhere from $80,000 to $10 million, and we've also met a lot of investors that have projects and have asked us to assist them in reaching out to the government and the community. So, we thought that it would make sense to put something like this together and to get some key players," says Dr. Magalie Emile-Backer, Vice President of Haiti Renewal Alliance.

For the first edition of Investor's Tank, five business ideas, out of 12 submissions, have been selected to be publicly presented. There will be a panel of five judges who will ask questions, provide feedback, and invest if interested. More potential investors and funders will be in the audience. 

The panelists include: Evens Anozine from Leopard Capital; Dominique Charles, Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund; Albert Decady, Green Investment Group; Andy Ingraham, NAHBOOD; and Nathalie Liautaud, PADF/ LEAD. Marc Saint Clair from Haiti Ventures will be the facilitator of this session.

"We've tried to select the projects based on the priorities of the Haitian government, and also took a look at what the State Department has put out as priorities for focusing funding from the US side. Hopefully, it's a great opportunity and platform for the investors. I also think it's an opportunity for the government, both from the US and Haitian side, to really see the caliber of investors and folks within the community that are interested in contributing to the reconstruction of Haiti, " noted Dr. Magalie Emile-Backer.

Organizers intend to bring the Investor's Tank to all the major cities in the US. The next edition is planned for September or October to take place in New York, followed by Miami and Atlanta.