Women’s swimsuit entrepreneur and UConn alum Hayley Segar ’17 (CLAS) will appear on next week’s segment of “Shark Tank,’’ the competitive entrepreneurship TV show with almost 3 million viewers.

Segar, whose swimsuit company onewith came to fruition with the support of UConn entrepreneurship programs, will appear on the show at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 24 on ABC.

The program was recorded in September, and Segar, 29, isn’t permitted to share whether one of the “shark” business moguls offered to partner with her company until after the show airs.

Although she has pitched her swimwear company many times, Segar says the presentation to five of the nation’s top entrepreneurs was nerve wracking.

“I was the most nervous I’ve ever been in my whole life,’’ Segar says. “In the days before I flew to California, I was memorizing my sales facts, making sure I had answers to any question they might ask. It got progressively more real when I arrived. I was pacing in my dressing room, doing breathing exercises. I told everyone I met, within five seconds, that I was so nervous!’’

But once the doors opened and she faced the business moguls, the nervousness disappeared.

“I was locked-in and focused on nailing my pitch,’’ she says. “I’ve done a lot of pitches and I’ve been on TV, but not in front of millions of people. It’s a category of its own. Shark Tank really is the pinnacle, the dream of every small business owner and entrepreneur.’’

UConn’s CCEI Helped Launch Her Company

Segar studied English Language and Literature at UConn Avery Point and graduated in 2017. She went on to work in the bridal industry and as a social media influencer.

“I always knew, from the time I was a little girl, that I would start a company. I didn’t know what it would be, but I felt I was on a path to build something of my own,’’ she said in a previous interview.

Segar came up with the idea for onewith after an exhausting search for a flattering swimsuit to wear on a vacation to Miami. The swimsuits she tried on were uncomfortable and unflattering. She wanted something that felt “one with” her body and offered a seamless design that fit like underwear, but with flattering silhouettes and swimwear sophistication.

Business adviser Mary Kay Della Camera, from the Connecticut Small Business Development Center, encouraged Segar pursue her dream and offered next steps, including exploring UConn’s growing entrepreneurship programs. Segar reached out to the School of Business’ Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation (CCEI). She earned an invitation to attend the program’s 2020 Summer Fellowship Accelerator and received $15,000 in non-dilutive startup funding. She was selected as one of the most promising UConn entrepreneurs that year and competed in the Wolff New Venture Competition, the School’s most prestigious challenge.

“That experience allowed me to get started on my company, but it also gave me tremendous confidence in myself in a way that surprised me. I was honestly shocked when I got accepted into Summer Fellowship,’’ she says. She is still in contact with the mentors and friends she met there.

Jennifer Mathieu, executive director of CCEI, says Segar immediately impressed her.

“From the moment I met Hayley, her unwavering determination stood out to me,’’ Mathieu says. “Over time, I’ve seen that when she sets her mind on something, she commits fully, deciding in that moment that success is the only outcome. She works tirelessly in pursuit of those goals, never loses focus, and somehow maintains a deep sense of self-awareness through it all.

“I feel truly grateful to have been among the very first to hear her pitch the idea of onewith five years ago,’’ she says. “I am so proud of all she has accomplished since then, including this very exciting milestone of pitching on Shark Tank.”

Segar is Chief Decisionmaker; Family Still Helps Ship Orders

Segar describes her business as a UConn-fueled company, with mentors helping her with everything from marketing to trademarks to legal advice to helping her discover her entrepreneurial strength. Her CCEI mentors taught her how to explain the novelty of her design, particularly to men who often didn’t understand the struggle women experience shopping for swimwear.

Some of her swimsuit line reflects her New England roots and favorite places along the shore. They are all sold through a direct-to-consumer online shop. Segar is the founder, operator, and only full-time employee of the company. Her mom still packs the suits for mailing.

“I’ve got lots of amazing help but I’m the chief decision maker,’’ says the New London native, who still calls Connecticut home.

She applied directly to Shark Tank seeking to be a participant.

“I went on Shark Tank looking for a strategic partnership,’’ she says. “I’ve never run a multimillion business before, and they all have.’’

The first quarter of the new year is perhaps the busiest for onewith, as the company prepares for summer sales.

“It’s a wild time right now but the ideal time for the segment to air,’’ Segar says. In the last year, Segar has been featured in People and InStyle magazines. She now employs four manufacturers to make her swimwear and, in 2024, sold 50,000 units.

Since completing the CCEI programs, Segar has continuously returned to mentor aspiring entrepreneurs, whether working with them one-on-one, leading workshops or speaking on panels.

During a recent entrepreneurship program at UConn, Segar encouraged new entrepreneurs to avoid distraction.

“They need to be focused and heads-down in the early stages of their company,’’ she said then. “It’s exciting, there is a lot of sacrifice, but in the end, owning your own business is extremely satisfying.’’

Grandpa First Suggested Shark Tank

Segar credits her grandfather for suggesting she consider appearing on Shark Tank.

“It really was my grandpa’s dream for me. He said, ‘You should be on Shark Tank. You’d be able to walk the walk and talk the talk,’’’ she recalls. “It really confused me because I didn’t even have a business idea yet.’’

She spoke to her grandfather in 2019, in the final hours before he passed, and she was able to whisper to him that she had plans to create a swimsuit company. She knows he would be proud of her today, and excited that she had taken his advice.

“This is a really full circle moment and something that’s very meaningful to me and very special to everyone in my family,’’ she says.