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April 24, 2026

Pitching the Future: ISyE seniors face the “Sharks” in inaugural capstone event

Written By: Jane Feller

On Friday, April 24, the UW-Madison Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering hosted its first-ever “Shark Tank – ISyE Edition.”

The event served as a dynamic milestone for seniors in the capstone design course. After spending the semester engineering solutions for complex, real-world industry challenges, students were asked to step away from their technical spreadsheets and step into the spotlight. Their mission? Persuade a panel of “Sharks” that their solutions were worth the investment.

The “Sharks”
Three distinguished alumni brought their industry expertise to the judging panel:

The Pitch
Each team had just five minutes to deliver an executive summary focusing on the bottom line: financial implications and project feasibility. The pressure didn’t end with the pitch, as teams faced a rigorous Q&A session from the judges, mimicking the real-world scrutiny of executive decision-makers.

The winning team from the inaugural “Shark Tank-ISyE Edition”.

And the Winner is…
While every team demonstrated the analytical rigor ISyE is known for, one group stood out for their exceptional delivery and persuasive strategy. Congratulations to our inaugural Shark Tank winners: Owen Bush, Patrick Grunklee, Mason Reitmeier, and Nathan Geiger, whose project optimized the service model for a local EMS department.

Events like these bridge the gap between classroom theory and professional practice, ensuring graduates are not just great engineers, but influential leaders.