A “Shark Tank”-style pitch competition is helping prisoners launch their dream companies —take a look

Sarah Jacobs/Business Insider

Coss Marte is 31 years old. For the last three years he’s been the CEO of ConBody, a prison-style bootcamp that has reached 22 countries and tens of thousands of customers. His story of success is similar to that of many CEOs, except for one key detail.

Marte didn’t start his business in grad school. He started it in prison.

Marte is a graduate of Defy Ventures, a nonprofit that connects prisoners with professional mentors to help them start businesses that can thrive once they get released back into society, in a six-month program known as “CEO of Your New Life.”

On a recent Tuesday at Wallkill Correctional Facility in upstate New York, the program was about to reach its natural end for 25 “entrepreneurs-in-training,” or EITs. With dreams of becoming the next Coss Marte, the EITs pitched 50 executives on their ideas before a graduation ceremony honoring their achievement.

Business Insider ventured inside Wallkill to see firsthand how the “Shark Tank”-style competition is granting second chances.