There’s a new reigning Swim with the Sharks champion: the Butterfly Effect Studio for Training, founded by Walter Sellers of Middletown.

Sellers’ holistic health and fitness studio was founded about five years ago in response to the US health crisis of obesity and chronic illness. The company’s mission is to provide science-driven, personalized wellness programs that go beyond the traditional gym model by focusing on accountability, individual needs and sustainable lifestyle change, especially for women.

“I realized that if I work with moms, I can change an entire generation,” Sellers said during the Q&A portion of his pitch. “If a mom eats right, her kids eat right — and eventually Dad eats right, too. Then those kids go to school with healthy lunches, their friends notice, and they start asking questions. That ripple effect means I can influence not just one family, but a whole community.”

The Butterfly Effect was awarded the $10,000 grand prize on Oct. 1 at the 13th annual event, hosted by the Emerging Enterprise Center at Penn Cinema on the Riverfront, joining previous winners including Droneversity, Omnipotential Energy Partners and TRIC Robotics.

The runner-up is the Scoutz app, founded by Antonio Depina, which took home $2,500. The app helps high school athletes navigate college recruitment by connecting them with coaches.

The $1,000 People’s Choice Award went to shelf-stable snack company Forever Freeze Co., founded by Amira Radovic, who also happens to be a past grand prize winner with her still-growing healthtech startup, TheraV.

Additional finalists included Sindri Materials Corporation, Oceeto and Phyll. 

The panel of judges for the final round was:

  • Monterry Luckey, deputy director, Delaware Workforce Development Board
  • Margie Crouch, VP, SBA relationship manager, WSFS Bank
  • C.J. Bell, director, Division of Small Business
  • James Dahlke, AVP, office manager, First Citizens Community Bank

Since it began, Swim with the Sharks has showcased more than 100 local entrepreneurs and awarded over $126,000 in cash, plus in-kind prizes of entrepreneur resources.