- We followed one small business pitching at the "Shark Tank" open casting call in New York City to see what it was like.
- The business, Banana Loca, employed a mascot named Brandon Vassallo, otherwise known as Banana Guy.
- Banana Loca's founders, Renee Heath and Bechara Jaoudeh, remained calm before and after their pitch. They credited Banana Guy for their confidence.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Business Insider recently followed fledgling small-business owners hoping to pitch their ideas on "Shark Tank." Though some colorful characters were expected, none of them matched the wacky vibrancy of Banana Guy.
Banana Guy, also known as Brandon Vassallo, was a fruit-themed mascot for one of the 350 small businesses pitching at a "Shark Tank" open casting call at the Javits Center in New York. We followed him and his company's founders through the pitching process to see what it was like to get a venture onto the hit show "Shark Tank."
Banana Loca, the business Banana Guy dressed up for, pitched a product that could core a banana and fill it with a spread of the user's choice. The company was founded by Renee Heath and Bechara Jaoudeh two years ago, when the latter realized there was no kitchen appliance that combined his two favorite things: bananas and Nutella.
Here's what their pitching process looked like, as well as their advice for other small-business owners.
We first met Banana Guy (aka Brandon Vassallo) just after he had put on his banana suit. The day's pitches had only just begun, and Banana Loca was no. 38 out of about 350 pitches, even though they'd arrived at 6:05 am.

Another guy put on an inflatable shark suit nearby, showing how popular gimmicks were to the pitching process.

We later followed Banana Guy as he and the business owners prepared to pitch their product. They rehearsed a 60-second script as Banana Guy patiently waited for their turn. Heath and Jaoudeh had done their research, so they felt they knew what made a good pitch. "Captivating narrative, economy of language, precise word choice, [and] good posture," Jaoudeh told Business Insider.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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