'Shark Tank' Star Daymond John Speaks To Bowie State Students

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Aspiring entrepreneurs at Bowie State University are getting an opportunity to swim with a shark -- or rather "Shark Tank" star Daymond John.

John is among several business leaders selected as keynote speakers for the university's inaugural HBCU Entrepreneurship Conference, which brings together over 400 professors and students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities to share best practices and ideas for launching successful startups.

The 52-year-old business mogul and founder of the FUBU fashion brand is known for his no-nonsense negotiations on "Shark Tank," an ABC reality TV series that gives inventors and entrepreneurs a chance to pitch their business ventures to investors including John and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.

Besides John, attendees of Bowie State's virtual conference get to hear from rapper and entrepreneur Percy "Master P" Miller, Black Girl Ventures founder Shelly Bell, author and Operation Hope CEO John Hope Bryant, and Eddie and Sylvia Brown of Brown Capital Management.

"This event will empower people to help foster their entrepreneurial spirit," said Johnetta Boseman Hardy, Executive Director, BSU Entrepreneurship Academy. "Bowie State is boldly paving the way to prosperity by laying the foundation and building a knowledge base."

The two-day virtual conference runs Thursday through Friday.