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| Photo courtesy of Venus Williams’ Facebook page |
By Sharee Silerio
Have you ever wondered what The Apprentice or Shark Tank would look like with all-women entrepreneurs?
Well, you’ll get the chance to find out, because tennis icon Venus Williams will be starring in and executive producing a new television show tentatively titled Deals in Heels, according to Deadline.
“As an advocate for gender and pay equality, I’m thrilled to be working with 3 Ball Entertainment on this project that fosters and supports trailblazing women who are actively pursuing their professional aspirations,” said Williams, per Deadline.
Each episode will feature five up-and-coming entrepreneurs who will pitch their start up idea to a panel. Of the group, two women with promising businesses will be invited to the next round, an “executive suite”, where they will critique their companies. Once their business plans are solid, the panel will mentor the entrepreneurs on all aspects of their business for a month, preparing them for critical sales benchmarks.
At the end of the month, the two entrepreneurs will return to the executive suite to re-pitch their ideas. After a performance review and negotiations, one startup will receive an investment deal from the panel.
The unscripted reality series will be executive produced with Todd A. Nelson, Ross Weintraub and DJ Nurre of 3 Ball Entertainment.
Additional co-executive producers attached to the project are Staness Jonekos ,CEO and founder of Eat Like a Woman, who is also an award-winning television producer and director, women’s health advocate and published author; and Deborah Perry Piscone, a Silicon Valley-based entrepreneur, CEO and creator of Alley to the Valley and national bestselling author.
A home network nor release date for the series has been announced, but hopefully it’s slated to premiere this fall.
DJ Nurre, executive vice president of programming and development at 3 Ball, said that “we’re confident these women can deliver both a powerful perspective and tangible results, helping to empower and inspire a new wave of entrepreneurs.”
