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Startup founder takes passion-based app into ABC's 'Shark Tank'

BeSomebody founder on show airing Nov. 4
Posted at 7:39 AM, Nov 02, 2016
and last updated 2016-11-02 11:04:58-04

The founder of a smartphone app that helps people pursue their passions is taking a dip in ABC's "Shark Tank" this week.

Kash Shaikh, founder of BeSomebody, will appear on the show set to air Nov. 4 on ABC.

BeSomebody is a startup company that aims to connect people with others that share the same passions. The app lets users meet like-minded people for peer-to-peer learning sessions. The app also allows users to get paid for helping teach their passions to others.

"No matter what happens in ['Shark Tank'], we've come a long, long way thanks to our passionate community around the world," Shaikh said in a blog post about his appearance on the show. "Together we've taken a small idea with a big vision and propelled it to a global stage."

Shaikh started BeSomebody in 2009 as a hashtag on social media before launching a blog under the same name. At the time he was working in marketing at Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati.

The company claims its teaching events reach more than 10 million people in 180 countries, according to a release.

Other entrepreneurs appearing on Friday's episode of "Shark Tank" include a gadget that tests the mercury level in a single piece of fish and a fashion brand geared toward the social media generation.

"Shark Tank" airs Fridays at 9 p.m. on ABC.