Lion's Den DFW

Lion's Den Presentation - DFW

Dallas, TX – For the second consecutive year, Kingdom-minded entrepreneurs and Christian investors joined together on the DBU campus for The Lion’s Den DFW, an event structured similarly to the hit television series “Shark Tank.” Hosted by DBU’s Center for Business as Mission, which is led by Dr. Ross O’Brien, this year’s event featured 10 different entrepreneurs who each had the opportunity to pitch their vision, business model, and passion to a panel of expert judges.

The 2017 Lion’s Den DFW conference was also led by Ed Pearce, President and CEO of Paragon Digital, John Raymond, Chief Business Executive for GuideStone Financial Resources, and Vip Vipperman, Senior International Real Estate Advisor with Briggs Freeman.

The conference sought to primarily connect Kingdom-minded businesses looking for capital with Kingdom-minded investors who want to invest in companies with financial potential which are also impacting the world for Christ.

Additionally, the event was an opportunity to educate the public about “business as mission” and how business people can be called by God to co-labor with Christ in his work of restoring creation and making disciples in the context of the marketplace. Those gathered had a chance to connect with like-minded individuals for mutual encouragement to continue in the work set before them.

2017 Lion's Den Conference

“Not only does this event provide a way for the Center for Business as Mission to serve our external constituents,” shared Dr. O’Brien, “but it also provides a way for our students to see real life examples of the kind of businesses we tell them about in the classroom, businesses that are genuinely seeking to integrate their faith and their vocation.”

“Over the past 2 years of this DBU-based event, several million dollars have flowed into some of these business opportunities, providing needed capital from Christian investors,” remarked Raymond. “Because of the willingness of DBU to open up their campus, the Lion’s Den DFW was able to move from a speculative dream to a successful reality.”

For more information on the conference or the businesses represented, visit www.TheLionsDenDFW.com.

Written by Courtney Hackett

Courtney Hackett (Smith) served as the Assistant to the Vice President for Communications in the University Communications division at DBU.