Broken Shark Tank: A Simulation to Break Paradigms

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San Francisco, CDMX , and an idea: to inspire global leaders through failure. That’s how the collaboration between Benefit Cosmetics and Fuckup Nights during its Global Leadership Conference in México.

The beauty brand - owned by Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH) but with an irreverent and agile spirit - was looking for a disruptive session for its more than 120 C-suite leaders and global heads. 

The goal? Use fun, failure, and creativity to unlock fresh thinking and spark authentic collaboration.

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Broken Shark Tank: A Simulation to Break Paradigms

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The experience kicked off with a 1-hour workshop followed by a 40-minute panel moderated by Pepe Villatoro, CEO and co-founder of Fuckup Nights. 

But this wasn't your usual Shark Tank. This one was “broken.” The challenge? Leaders had to pitch a product intentionally designed to fail epically in the marketplace.

This experience unleashed more than just laughter among the attendees, it stimulated a surge of unexpected creativity. From a very peculiar eyebrow prototype (photo attached as evidence), teams broke the mold and allowed themselves to create, fail and learn in a low-risk environment.

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“Imagine a Shark Tank, but broken. That’s what we did with Benefit Cosmetics. We held a “ Fuckup Nights ” workshop where participants came up with and pitched a product or service that would fail spectacularly on the market.” — Pepe Villatoro

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From Failing Pitches to Collective Breakthroughs

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What started as a light and fun dynamic - creating products destined to fail - quickly turned into a laboratory of ideas, collective reflection and non-judgmental creativity. 

By inviting global leaders to propose without judgment or perfection, an unusual space opened up where innovation happens through failure.

Throughout the session, people connected in a genuine way and began building on each other’s ideas organically. 

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We share with you some of the main learnings shared by the audience during the session:

• "It freed me from my perfectionism."
• "We build on each other's ideas."
• “Having fun made creativity flow.”
• “So many useful ideas came out of it.”
• “We kept brainstorming long after the session ended.”

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Turning Failure Into a Strategic Skillset

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The experience was tailor-made for Benefit with three big goals in mind:

1. Encourage a growth mindset and embrace adaptability.
2. Promote the use of technology with critical thinking.
3. Motivate leaders to co-create and champion “Big Ideas.”

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Inspiring and empowering regional leaders to take action through reflection, collaboration, and play—using a simulation-based session that fosters experiential, team-driven learning through failure.

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A Beauty Culture That Inspires Through the Unexpected

Born in San Francisco, Benefit has always stood for joy, authenticity, and and breaking the rules of beauty—with a wink. Being part of this experience was a perfect match with their DNA: rewriting the status quo with a smile.

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"It was an absolute privilege to team up with a brand that celebrates fun and authenticity as key ingredients for leadership." — Pepe Villatoro

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Thank you Nina, Jenn, David, Maria del Carmen, Laura and Morgan for trusting Fuckup Nights to activate the most human (and failed) potential of your global talent.

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Want to Bring This Experience to Your Team? 

Discover how we create innovation and leadership sessions built around learning from failure.

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