Scholly Returning to ABC’s ‘Shark Tank’ for Company Update on March 15

Scholly founder Chris Gray is returning to where his unique journey as an entrepreneur began – ABC’s hit television show ‘Shark Tank’ – for an update on his company’s resounding success in connecting students across the country to millions of dollars in scholarships for college. In addition to reconnecting with Shark Tank investors Daymond John and Lori Greiner, Chris is joined by Sallie Mae’s Chief Commercial Officer Donna Vieira to highlight the education solutions company’s recent acquisition of Scholly.

During Chris’ first visit to ‘Shark Tank’ back in 2015, Daymond and Lori invested to further develop his innovative Scholly app that connects students to scholarships based on their skills and interests. That pitch led to one of the most tension-filled and memorable debates between the panel of Sharks in the show’s history.

For this year’s update, Chris and Donna traveled to Queens to meet Daymond at his alma mater, Bayside High School. After touring the school and meeting with students, they announced two $10,000 scholarships to seniors Giselle Rodriguez and Amir Theodile, and a $1 million commitment to Thurgood Marshall College Fund – through The Sallie Mae Fund – to support scholarships to help students from underserved communities access and complete higher education.

“Returning to ‘Shark Tank’ truly represents a full-circle moment for me and for Scholly,” said Scholly founder Chris Gray who himself won $1.3 million in scholarships on his way to Drexel University. “From a first-generation college student from Birmingham, Alabama to entrepreneur, to ‘Shark Tank’ alum, and now to part of the Sallie Mae family, it has been a unique, challenging, and rewarding journey but what makes me especially proud is how many dreams of higher education we’ve helped make a reality through Scholly.”

“The biggest reason why I've stayed committed to ‘Shark Tank’ for the past 15 seasons is to help support the entrepreneurs and companies that are going to make an impact in this world,” said Daymond John, fashion and branding expert and ‘Shark Tank’ investor in Scholly. “With this partnership of Scholly and Sallie Mae, I'm really excited to support them as they change millions of people's lives. Chris created a resource in Scholly that empowers our next generation of future leaders like Giselle and Amir. Teaming up with Sallie Mae will only expand access to higher education. I was thrilled to invest in Scholly and in Chris, and together with Sallie Mae, I’m confident they will revolutionize how students discover and tap into free and unclaimed scholarships for college.”