A group of hopeful entrepreneurs took turns pitching their business ideas in front of venture capitalists and an audience during a live recording of “Meet the Drapers” on the University of Utah campus Friday.
Started by Silicon Valley venture capitalist Tim Draper, “Meet the Drapers” is a “Shark Tank” style show in which entrepreneurs compete for investments.
The show blends real investment decisions, authentic founder stories, and high-stakes competition, offering audiences a rare inside look at what top venture capitalists actually look for when backing the next generation of transformative companies.
Friday’s rendition of the show, which was recorded live from the Lassonde Studios at the U., featured five entrepreneurs — four of whom have ties to the University of Utah.
Kristina Schiffman said pitching in front of an audience during a broadcast is “definitely a little bit nerve-racking.”
Schiffman, an undergraduate at the U., founded UV Sense, a wearable device with a compatible smartphone app that helps people track their real-time UV exposure and let them know when to get out of the sun.
“The main cause of skin cancer is sunburn. We’re intervening before a sunburn occurs,” Schiffman said, adding that her product is particularly relevant to Utah, which has the highest rates of melanoma in the country.
Schiffman was joined in pitching by Victor Gill, CEO and co-founder of Trace Air Quality, Elizabeth Jeffrey, founder and CEO of Breath of Life, Josh Litwack, founder and CEO of Quantizr, and Val Emanuel, co-founder and CEO of Rif Care.
After a couple of hours of pitching, questions and answers and judge deliberation, Draper announced that Rif Care was chosen as the winner — meaning Emanuel and Rif will move on to compete in the semifinals.
If the company advances through the semifinals, it’s on to the finale, where the winning pitch will receive a $1 million investment.
Launched in 2021, Rif Care is an innovative period care brand making premium and accessible menstrual products with upcycled hemp fiber.
Emanuel started the business after experiencing a miscarriage in her early 20s. A holistic doctor told her she had a hormone imbalance, leading her to seek alternative materials that could be used in period products instead of the typical cotton and plastics.
“One million (dollars) would be life-changing for us,” Emanuel said. “I always think about how many more women we could help. If we raise $600,000, and we’d be able to help 20,000 women, I think we can help 100,00 women with a million dollars and then from there, help a million women.”
As far as being on the show, she’s hopeful the exposure will help spread Rif’s name and get it into more households. Currently, the company is in 400 stores across the U.S.
“I am a big fan of Utah,” Draper said. “Entrepreneurship here is just thriving. I’m definitely glad that ‘Meet the Drapers’ America came to Salt Lake.”
No stranger to the Beehive State, Draper helped launch Wasatch Global Investors, a Salt Lake City-based investment firm. At the time, it was the state’s first venture fund.
Draper also sponsors the annual Utah Entrepreneur Challenge, a statewide student business competition that sees teams from universities across the state compete for $75,000 in prizes and awards.
“Meet the Drapers” can be watched online here.