{"id":223580,"date":"2025-01-16T07:35:38","date_gmt":"2025-01-16T12:35:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=223580"},"modified":"2025-03-18T16:23:57","modified_gmt":"2025-03-18T20:23:57","slug":"swimsuit-entrepreneur-uconn-alum-hayley-segar-to-appear-on-shark-tank","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2025\/01\/swimsuit-entrepreneur-uconn-alum-hayley-segar-to-appear-on-shark-tank\/","title":{"rendered":"Swimsuit Entrepreneur, UConn Alum Hayley Segar to Appear on \u2018Shark Tank\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Women\u2019s swimsuit entrepreneur and UConn alum Hayley Segar \u201917 (CLAS) will appear on next week\u2019s segment of \u201cShark Tank,\u2019\u2019 the competitive entrepreneurship TV show with almost 3 million viewers.<\/p>\n

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

The program was recorded in September, and Segar, 29, isn\u2019t permitted to share whether one of the “shark” business moguls offered to partner with her company until after the show airs.<\/p>\n

Although she has pitched her swimwear company many times, Segar says the presentation to five of the nation\u2019s top entrepreneurs was nerve wracking.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was the most nervous I\u2019ve ever been in my whole life,\u2019\u2019 Segar says. \u201cIn 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!\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

But once the doors opened and she faced the business moguls, the nervousness disappeared.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was locked-in and focused on nailing my pitch,\u2019\u2019 she says. \u201cI\u2019ve done a lot of pitches and I\u2019ve been on TV, but not in front of millions of people. It\u2019s a category of its own. Shark Tank really is the pinnacle, the dream of every small business owner and entrepreneur.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

UConn\u2019s CCEI Helped Launch Her Company<\/strong><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always knew, from the time I was a little girl, that I would start a company. I didn\u2019t know what it would be, but I felt I was on a path to build something of my own,\u2019\u2019 she said in a previous interview<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"Haley
Segar with one of the pieces in her swimwear line (Courtesy of Haley Segar)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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<\/a>). She earned an invitation to attend the program\u2019s 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\u2019s most prestigious challenge.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat 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,\u2019\u2019 she says. She is still in contact with the mentors and friends she met there.<\/p>\n

Jennifer Mathieu, executive director of CCEI, says Segar immediately impressed her.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the moment I met Hayley, her unwavering determination stood out to me,\u2019\u2019 Mathieu says. \u201cOver time, I\u2019ve seen that when she sets her mind on something, she commits fully, deciding in that moment that success is the only outcome.\u00a0She works tirelessly in pursuit of those goals, never loses focus, and somehow maintains a deep sense of self-awareness through it all.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel truly grateful to have been among the very first to hear her pitch the idea of onewith five years ago,\u2019\u2019 she says. \u201cI am so proud of all she has accomplished since then, including this very exciting milestone of pitching on Shark Tank.”<\/p>\n

Segar is Chief Decisionmaker; Family Still Helps Ship Orders<\/strong><\/p>\n

Segar describes her business as a UConn-fueled company, with mentors helping her with everything from marketing to trademarks to helping her discover her entrepreneurial strength. Segar also worked with UConn Law\u2019s Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurship Clinic to register her trademark and prepare applications for several patents that are currently pending. Her CCEI mentors taught her how to explain the novelty of her design, particularly to men who often didn\u2019t understand the struggle women experience shopping for swimwear.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got lots of amazing help but I\u2019m the chief decision maker,\u2019\u2019 says the New London native, who still calls Connecticut home.<\/p>\n

She applied directly to Shark Tank seeking to be a participant.<\/p>\n

\u201cI went on Shark Tank looking for a strategic partnership,\u2019\u2019 she says. \u201cI\u2019ve never run a multimillion business before, and they all have.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

The first quarter of the new year is perhaps the busiest for onewith, as the company prepares for summer sales.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a wild time right now but the ideal time for the segment to air,\u2019\u2019 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.<\/p>\n

\"The
ABC’s “Shark Tank” stars Kevin O’Leary, Barbara Corcoran, Mark Cuban, Daymond John, Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec. (ABC\/Richard Middlesworth)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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.<\/p>\n

During a recent entrepreneurship program at UConn, Segar encouraged new entrepreneurs to avoid distraction.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey need to be focused and heads-down in the early stages of their company,\u2019\u2019 she said then. \u201cIt\u2019s exciting, there is a lot of sacrifice, but in the end, owning your own business is extremely satisfying.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Grandpa First Suggested Shark Tank<\/strong><\/p>\n

Segar credits her grandfather for suggesting she consider appearing on Shark Tank.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really was my grandpa\u2019s dream for me. He said, \u2018You should be on Shark Tank. You\u2019d be able to walk the walk and talk the talk,\u2019\u2019\u2019 she recalls. \u201cIt really confused me because I didn\u2019t even have a business idea yet.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a really full circle moment and something that\u2019s very meaningful to me and very special to everyone in my family,\u2019\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Segar makes her pitch on Friday, Jan. 24 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121,"featured_media":223582,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[147,2226,2471,1731,2649,2199,2624,1857,2235,173,2227,2234],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[2105],"class_list":["post-223580","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-clas","category-economic-development","category-entrepreneurship","category-blue-pride","category-new-london-county","category-blue","category-law","category-today-homepage","category-uconn-avery-point","category-uconn-edu-homepage","category-university-life"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-30 10:20:55","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223580","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/121"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=223580"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223580\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":223906,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223580\/revisions\/223906"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/223582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=223580"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=223580"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=223580"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=223580"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=223580"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}