TEAM ID CODE- 1621C8BC1AB60A65 TEAM NAME- 2b|!2b
Inspiration
We wanted to help entrepreneurs overcome the fear of pitching by creating a safe space to practice with AI sharks that respond like real investors-asking tough questions, making offers, and providing detailed feedback.
What it does
The platform simulates a full Shark Tank experience where users pitch their startup ideas to AI-powered sharks (Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran, Kevin O'Leary). The sharks listen via voice, ask intelligent questions, negotiate deals, make joint offers, and generate comprehensive 10-section evaluation reports analyzing pitch clarity, market understanding, financial viability, and more.
How we built it
Built with Node.js backend, React frontend, Socket.io for real-time communication, Google Gemini 2.5 Flash models for AI responses and analysis, ElevenLabs API for realistic shark voices, and a custom persona system that gives each shark unique investment preferences and speaking styles.
Challenges we ran into
Handling joint offers between multiple sharks, preventing conversation loops where sharks repeated themselves, extracting business data from unstructured pitches, ensuring deal negotiations concluded properly, and synchronizing voice responses with real-time conversation flow.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
Created a fully functional pitch simulation with natural multi-shark negotiations, implemented dual AI+regex extraction for reliable data capture, built comprehensive 10-section AI-powered pitch evaluation reports, and achieved realistic voice synthesis that captures each shark's personality.
What we learned
Prompt engineering is critical for consistent AI behavior, WebSocket state management requires careful handling, fallback systems (regex) are essential when AI fails, and user experience depends on smooth integration of multiple APIs (OpenRouter, ElevenLabs).
What's next for HoyaHacks2026
Add more investor personas beyond Shark Tank, implement pitch recording and playback, create a progress tracker showing improvement over multiple sessions, add industry-specific sharks (tech VCs, angel investors), and build a community feature where users can share anonymized pitch reports.
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