Four teams made their best pitch to the island’s “sharks” during the 2nd annual Nantucket Pitch Competition, a “Shark Tank” styled contest that played out live before a full crowd at the Dreamland Friday night.
The first place prize of $10,000 was awarded to Nantucket Crisps, a new snack inspired by the island and created by founders Hayden Arnot and Sara Jemison. The pair hope to have Nantucket Crisps on shelves by next spring.
The Pitch Competition was produced by the Nantucket Island Center for Entrepreneurship (NICE), an arm of the Nantucket Island Chamber of Commerce, and emceed by actor and director John Shea. Selecting the winners Friday night were the “shark” judges: bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand; “Shark Tank” guest shark Jamie Siminoff, the founder of Ring; and N Magazine publisher and island hotel owner Bruce Percelay.
The second place prize of $5,000 went to Nantucket Captain’s Camp, pitched by Madaket Marine’s Catherine Slattery. The camp will be STEM-focused and aims to help young women learn about and pursue careers in the maritime industry, with a hopeful launch date of summer 20222. 
Two honorable mentions with cash prizes of $2,500 each were awarded to Andre Marrero for his Nantucket Faraway Chocolate pitch, the first “bean to bar chocolate factory” on the island that is already selling its products, as well as Faraway Gallery, an e-commerce art gallery pitched by Pete Arsenault and Lucie Lundeen to help local artists sell their work off-island. The gallery hopes to launch this winter.
Karen Macumber, business consultant for NICE, said the goal the Pitch Competition is “to showcase local entrepreneurs that have a real shot at launching a viable business here that can scale beyond the island eventually. This year was a celebration of a return to normal, where entrepreneurs can feel more confident launching a new business.”
The event was sponsored by the Chamber, ReMain Ventures, Nantucket Magazine, Cape Cod 5, Toscana Corporation and the Beachside Hotel. Another $1,200 was contributed by individual donors.
