Arizona State alumnus to pitch ‘Shark Tank’ star, PayPal
Feb 27, 2015, 5:43 PM | Updated: Mar 2, 2015, 4:03 pm
An Arizona State University alumnus will soon pitch his idea in front of “Shark Tank” star Daymond John and PayPal.
Jeff Malkoon graduated from a politics and global studies program at ASU in 2009, and he then pursued a master’s degree in nonprofit studies at the university’s downtown camputs, according to The State Press.
His interest in nonprofit studies took him to South American, where he got the idea for a special kind of peanut butter.
Malkoon started developing the product in Uruguay, but he came back to Phoenix and eventually Peanut Butter Americano was born.
Malkoon has worked on making flavors that are different from typical brands of peanut butter found on grocery shelves in the U.S. The entrepreneur said he tries to keep his products American-made, as the nuts for the butter come from west Texas and California.
A PayPal page has been created for fans to vote for one of the competitors. The description for Malkoon’s Peanut Butter Americano is as follows:
Not only is Jeff Malkoon’s peanut butter delicious, part of its proceeds also go to developing communities. Malkoon is hoping to compete with the peanut butter megabrands, spreading peanut butter joy to consumers and non-profits alike.
Malkoon will make his pitch at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas on March 14. He is going against one other business. The winner will receive $30,000 and business assistance.
Fans must have a Facebook account to cast a vote for their favorite contestant.
