DMV Veteran Shark Tank
Four years of connecting veteran entrepreneurs with capital, coaching, and community.
Our Mission
Veteran entrepreneurs are among the most disciplined, mission-driven founders in any room. They know how to operate under pressure, build teams, and execute. What many lack is access to capital, to coaching, to the networks that accelerate a business. The DMV Veteran Shark Tank was built to close that gap.
Since 2021, I have organized and run four competitions in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia region. Each event brings together veteran founders, experienced judges, and an audience invested in the outcome. The competition is the visible part. The coaching, community, and long-term outcomes are the lasting parts.
THE BENCHMARK: A business that came in second place at the DMV Veteran Shark Tank went on to secure placement in Whole Foods nationally — and then secured investment on the television show Shark Tank. This is what the competition produces. Not just winners, but businesses that compete at every level.
2021 Winner: Dr. Katherine Sylvester – Operation MIST
- 1st Place: Dr. Katherine Sylvester, Operation MIST — $15,000
- 2nd Place: Tiffany Davis — $10,000
- 3rd Place: Sarge FITT — $5,000
Operation MIST: Wearable technology that monitors women for complications during pregnancy and the first year post-delivery. Born from Dr. Sylvester’s own near-death post-delivery experience.
Where she is now: Since winning, Operation MIST has grown annual revenue from $20K to over $250K (as of 2025), reduced C-section rates among monitored patients in Georgia from 32% to 8%, and is now partnering with hospitals, clinics, and federally funded health organizations nationally. Operation MIST is a recognized force in ending preventable Black maternal deaths in America.
2022 Winner: Birdy Boutique
- 1st Place: Birdy Boutique — $15,000
- 2nd Place: Bon Appésweet — $10,000
- 3rd Place: Plank Owner Pizza Bar — $5,000
Notable competitor — Bon Appésweet (did not win, but the outcome speaks for itself):
| Bon Appésweet is a gourmet confectionery brand whose chocolate is sweetened using only dates. The founder, an Army veteran, started the company as a promise to her daughter after returning from a year-long deployment. She did not win the DMV Veteran Shark Tank in 2022. She went on anyway — reaching placement in Whole Foods stores nationally, and later securing investment on the television show Shark Tank. This is what the competition produces: businesses that go further than the trophy. |
2024 Winner: Hyacinth Tucker — The Laundry Basket
1st Place: Hyacinth Tucker, The Laundry Basket — $15,000
An on-demand subscription laundry delivery service. Scalable model that gives customers back four hours per week. Built from a side hustle into a full-time enterprise.
Where she is now: Expanded to multiple states and continues securing growth capital since her win.
2nd Place: Body Aqua — $10,000
A specialized hydration product created after the founder witnessed dehydration deaths during military service in 1993.
2025 Winner: Bianca Samone, Talk Don't Text
1st Place: Bianca Samone, Talk Don’t Text — $5,000
A social app that connects people who are at the same event at the same time — class reunions, mixers, professional events. Not a dating app. A real-time in-person social connector. ‘Just like Uber revolutionized transportation, Talk Don’t Text is going to revolutionize how people connect in person.’
People’s Choice Award (first ever): French Toast Connection — $500
A gourmet French toast business based in Baltimore City.