COLUMBUS, Ohio — On Thursday, a Buckeye State native and “Shark Tank” winner returned to his roots.
Tom Burden, a Celina native and University of Toledo alum, stopped in Columbus to speak with high school students at the Academy for Urban Scholars, where he taught them about perseverance and innovation.
Burden appeared on Shark Tank in 2017 to showcase his “Grypmat” invention. Burden came up with the idea for a non-slip tool tray while serving in the Air Force. Tools would slip off his aircraft, so he designed a sticky tool holder to be mounted on planes.
He was able to close a $360,000 deal with three Sharks, and his career and brand have continued to grow. His message to students on Thursday was that entrepreneurship requires not only a good business strategy, but also a good mindset.
“I see a lot of people focus on what they don’t have and if they just kind of switch that around, really the opportunities are endless in a career center like this,” Burden told me.
Burden hopes to inspire the next generation of inventors and entrepreneurs by demonstrating how the skills they are learning now can provide them with a competitive advantage for the rest of their lives.
