Guest Shark Charles Barkley joined Lori Greiner, Mark Cuban, Kevin O’Leary and Robert Herjavec in the Shark Tank to evaluate four potential business investments. Life Lift, Fresh Bellies, SubSafe and Zorpads all came to the Shark Tank hoping to find a Shark to mentor and financially support their companies. Three of these companies left with partnerships with the Sharks.
Life Lift Secures a Deal With Mark Cuban
Oklahoma natives, Levi Wilson and Tim Todd, are seeking $550,000 for a 15% share of their company, Life Lift. Their mission is to create in-home, functional tornado shelters that do not take up unnecessary space in your home. This initial patent-pending product is a bed that telescopes up in 60 seconds, revealing a tornado shelter that is capable of withstanding an EF5 tornado and the 250 MPH winds that come with it. The product gets bolted into the foundation of the house so that there is no way a tornado can destroy it — even if the house were to take a direct hit.
Will this company rise to the occasion? #SharkTank
— Shark Tank (@ABCSharkTank) January 28, 2019
The Sharks are impressed with their innovation and the craftsmanship of the product. They are also impressed with their sales after only having been in business for a few months. Over a 3 month span, the company made $550,000 in sales. Mark Cuban makes Life Lift an offer for $550,000 for 25% equity. His plan is to finance purchase orders and introduce them to builders who can help them with sales in new structures. Lori Greiner also offers $550,000 for 25% equity. While Levi and Todd do counter and discuss royalties vs. equity, they decide to accept Mark’s offer.
Fresh Bellies Walks Away Without a Deal
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Saskia Sorrosa, former VP of Marketing for the NBA, came to the Sharks to pitch her company, Fresh Bellies, in the hopes of receiving a $275,000 investment for 5% equity in the company. Fresh Bellies’ mission is to help kids become adventurous eaters with a vast pallet by creating baby food from plant-based, savory foods. The current baby food on the market focuses on sugar and fruits which get kids in the habit of craving sugar from a young age. Fruit Bellies is trying to fight the childhood obesity epidemic by starting them on the right path early in life.
Is this product sitting well in your stomach? #freshbellies #SharkTank
— Shark Tank (@ABCSharkTank) January 28, 2019
The Sharks are very concerned that her valuation is way too high. They are also concerned that the product is not affordable enough for lower to middle-class families where childhood obesity is most prevalent. Because the product is preservative free, it will need shelf space in a refrigerated section of a grocery store which is incredibly hard to get. Some of the other concerns of the Sharks are that the flavor profiles are not quite right in the baby food and the marketing to educate the market and change their behavior is an uphill battle. The Shark wish Fresh Bellies well, but declined to partner with them. make them an offer.
Charles Barkley and Mark Cuban Partner With SubSafe
Husband and wife Adam and Desiree Haller came to the Shark Tank in hopes of sharing 13% of their company in exchange for $50,000 for their company, SubSafe. SubSafe is a durable and waterproof container that can house sandwiches or any food products while in a cooler to prevent them from getting soggy. The SubSafe is a versatile product that can also be used for anything that needs to be protected from water such as cell phones, wallets and keys. The ends of the container have been designed so that they can stand up to double as bowls or cups for travel, if needed.
Will this water-proof product stay dry in the tank? #subsafe #SharkTank
— Shark Tank (@ABCSharkTank) January 28, 2019
Although he thinks the product name is terrible, Mark Cuban decides to go in with Charles Barkley to make an offer of $50,000 for a 25% share of the company. This would allow SubSafe to have the best of both worlds, a fisherman (Charles) who would use this product often and a digital marker (Mark) who knows how to sell it. None of the other Sharks are exactly sure what to offer because they aren’t sure if they will get their money back since it’s a niche product in a small market. Adam and Desiree accept Mark and Charles’ offer and get two Sharks for the prices of one.
Zorpads Accepts a Deal From Lori Greiner and Charles Barkley
Harvard Business school grads Taylor Wiegele and Sierra Smith entered the Shark Tank in hope of securing $150,000 for 8% equity in their company, Zorpads. Their signature product is an activated carbon fabric that is inserted into shoes to absorb odors. This is a preferred method to odor sprays or large shoe inserts that affect the fit of the shoe. They currently are doing direct-to-consumer marketing and are selling their product on their website, Walmart, Jet, and Amazon. Taylor and Sierra are hoping to find an investor who will assist them with marketing and sales. is what they need the money for; Strategically, they are focusing on branding and expanding into retail locations.
Are these odor absorbing strips out of this world? #zorpads #SharkTank
— Shark Tank (@ABCSharkTank) January 28, 2019
Zorpads receive 3 Shark offers. The first is from Lori and Charles for $150,000 for 22.5% equity in their company. The next is from Kevin O’Leary for $150,000 for 20%. The final offer is from Robert Herjavec for $150,000 for 12%. They like that they can get two Sharks with Lori and Charles and Charles has agreed to be a spokesperson for the product after verifying it’s effectiveness with third-party testing. They accept Lori and Charles offer and are very excited to be working with two great Sharks.
What was your favorite business on this episode of Shark Tank? How did you feel about the business investments and the products mentioned? Would you purchase any of these products or services? Leave your comments below!
Shark Tank airs Sunday at 9:00 EST on ABC.