The UCF student-run hummus company with the wacky name, tasty recipes, healthy ingredients and disruptive spirit is about to make a big splash in Shark-infested waters.

O’Dang Hummus, led by UCF College of Business Administration (#UCFBusiness) student Jesse Wolfe, will be featured on the Friday, October 2nd episode of ABC’s hit entrepreneurial reality show, Shark Tank. The company makes custom flavors of hummus and hummus-based salad dressing with names like “Caesar the Day” and “Bomb-a-licious Buffalo.”

(Attend the watch party at the Student Union – more information here)

“Things are going really well for us,” said Wolfe. “We’re going to Publix and launching in over 1,100 of their stores. Now the whole world is going to know about our product. It’s a little like winning the lottery.”

It took nearly three years – and several setbacks – for Wolfe to realize his dream.

“As an entrepreneur you’re going to need to be the Michael Jordan of accepting rejection. In the beginning, I had six different farmers’ markets tell me no. Don’t fear failure. You’re going to fail. It’s inevitable. But push on and don’t be afraid to pivot because that’s what keeps you going forward.”

“Jesse is one of our students that exemplifies the qualities we strive to instill here at the UCF College of Business,” points out Paul Jarley, Ph.D., dean of the UCF College of Business. “He has broken outside his comfort zone, confronted failure and turned it into opportunities, and creatively solved problems along the way to build a strong foundation for his company.”

Along the way he took advantage of #UCFBusiness opportunities to hone his messaging. He competed in The Joust New Venture Challenge, attended coaching sessions at the Blackstone LaunchPad, and commingled with other student entrepreneurs in the Upstarts Student Venture Accelerator.

“I’ve had a unique opportunity to watch Jesse’s entrepreneurial journey the past three years,” said Cameron Ford, Ph.D., founding director of the UCF Blackstone LaunchPad. “I couldn’t be more proud of him.  He’s a great role model for UCF’s student starters.”

#UCFBusiness will be hosting a watch party for students and alumni in the Student Union on Friday, October 2nd, beginning at 8 p.m. in the atrium.

For more information on Shark Tank, visit https://abc.com/shows/shark-tank. Learn more about #UCFBusiness’ support for entrepreneurial thinking at https://business.ucf.edu/ and https://incubator.ucf.edu/.