Useful products, strong business plans and the intense scrutiny of a panel of judges—it was almost like an episode of Shark Tank was being filmed on the EWU Spokane campus last week as four teams of some of the university’s brightest, business-minded students gave “final-pitch presentations” for their Technology Commercialization Academy Fellowships.

The Technology Commercialization Academy, open to all Eastern Washington University students, is funded by a grant from the Herbert B. Jones Foundation and a donation from Wells Fargo. Those accepted into the rigorous summer program receive a $1,500 scholarship and valuable experience, know-how that is arguably worth more than the scholarship.