Shark Tank is a venture capital reality TV show where aspiring entrepreneurs can realize their American Dream. The panel of investors listens to their pitches, ask questions, and decide if they want to make an offer or not. From there, they can negotiate terms and the entrepreneurs can counter-offer, negotiate, accept or decline, as they make the best decisions for their businesses.
Over the last 15 years the reality show has been on the air, countless businesses have been introduced that have gone on to achieve massive success. In some cases, the Sharks missed the boat. One of the most notable is the Ring Wi-Fi video doorbell, which was rejected by all five Sharks then went on to be sold to Amazon for a reported $1 billion. It’s widely considered to be one of the show’s biggest misses, with owner Jamie Siminoff even since appearing on the show as one of the guest sharks himself. But many other companies have found success with the help of a Shark, some of which created products that have become household names. There are a few memorably successful Shark Tank investments that take the cake.
Shark Tank
- Release Date
- August 9, 2009
- Cast
- Mark Cuban
- Seasons
- 11
10 Bombas
Season 6
Bombas seemed like a simple pitch: fashionable socks whereby every pair sold would see the donation of a pair to a homeless shelter. The company’s pitch was solid, they received an investment, and have become the most successful company ever from Shark Tank. After some back and forth negotiations, Daymond John loved the concept and invested $200,000 for 17.5 percent of the company, a much bigger percentage than the 5 percent stake the owners were looking to get. But he also agreed to finance inventory and product on top of his percentage ownership. It was a no-brainer to say yes.
Today, according to Forbes, Bombas has not only become a billion-dollar business, the brand has donated more than 100 million items of clothing. This includes not only socks but also underwear and T-shirts, doing their part to help the world become a better place.
9 Scrub Daddy
Season 4
Scrub Daddy is one of those products that screams QVC, so it’s no surprise that following a bidding war among the sharks on one of the best network reality TV shows of all time. Owner Aaron Krause chose to accept the deal with Lori Greiner, the self-professed queen of QVC. What’s the product? It’s a circular, dual-texture, scratch-free sponge with two holes at the top and an arched hole at the bottom that resembles a smiling face. The design wasn’t just to be cute: it held a purpose, with the holes designed for fingers while you clean. Meanwhile, it’s designed to get soft in warm water and harder in cold water, so you can use it on everything from dishware to lawn furniture.
After rejecting an inflated offer from Kevin O’Leary, who wanted half the company, Krause accepted Greiner’s offer of $200,000 for 20 percent equity. According to The CEO Magazine, Scrub Daddy is the third-largest sponge company in the U.S. while Fortune places its net worth at over $220 million. The brand now offers an expanded line that includes items like scouring pads, mops, microfiber towels, and more.
8 Squatty Potty
Season 6
It sounds like it would be one of the most hilarious pitches on Shark Tank, but the concept actually holds real value. The simple Squatty Potty stool is designed to fit in front of a toilet to elevate the legs to encourage easier bowel movements. It’s an ideal product for demonstration, so it’s no surprise that Lori Greiner made an offer of $350,000 for a 10 percent stake in the company. Following a viral video, the product took off, even gaining the attention of celebrities like Dr. Oz and Howard Stern.
Offered for a relatively affordable price yet promising to help those who suffer from painful or unsuccessful bowel movements, Squatty Potty came to market solving a problem that really did exist. Sometimes, it doesn’t take a complex product, and this little idea became one of the most successful ever on the show. The company has made millions with plenty of happy customers who claim it really works.
7 Bottle Breacher
Season 6
It isn’t so much the product that’s revolutionary that got the sharks interested in the Bottle Breacher as it is the story behind it. The innovative bottle openers are made from 50 caliber bullets, and each one is hand-made by active-duty service members, reservists, and veterans. It’s easy to see why the sharks were impressed with not only the quality of the product but also the good the company was doing. As perfect gifts for guys, complete with engraving if desired, Bottle Breacher blew up after appearing on the show.
Owners Eli and Jen Crane, Eli, whom himself served in the Navy for 14 years, struck a deal with Kevin O’Leary and Mark Cuban, who offered $75,000 each for a 10 percent stake apiece, thus giving up 20 percent total. The company, which has now become a small family business empire with $17 million in sales according to its website, continues to give back in other ways, donating to various veteran’s events and groups.
6 Dude Wipes
Season 7
Dude Wipes aimed to offer a more suitable alternative to toilet paper for men, and the brand was onto something. When they pitched their idea on the show, claiming that men hate using dry toilet paper, Mark Cuban was all in. He invested $300,000 for a quarter of the business, which remains the only money the trio of owners has raised so far, according to Forbes Australia. They have heavily promoted the product, including during this year’s Super Bowl.
As one of the most successful products ever in the history of the show, the company, reports Forbes, is looking to grow to a billion-dollar business within the next five years. The product is simple: flushable wipes for your rear end made from 99 percent water and plant-based ingredients. Theirs is one business that actually excelled during the COVID-19 pandemic when toilet paper was one of the scarcest yet most in-demand resources.
5 Pipcorn Snacks
Season 6
A brother and sister team started Pipcorn snacks, made from heirloom popcorn kernels. Finding a package one day as the only thing left in a house they were moving from to eat, they discovered the treats are flavorful, crunchy, and satisfy cravings without containing unhealthy GMOs or artificial ingredients. They received an investment from Barbara Corcoran, who offered the $200,000 for 10 percent they were asking for, but with a 10 percent draw of whatever funds were taken out of the company as well. The brand also caught the attention of Oprah Winfrey.
According to Food Republic, sales exploded after the episode aired, growing 450 percent in three months to surpass $1 million. Now with a new variety of flavors, the company is going strong, having expanded to new countries and grocers.
4 PhoneSoap
Season 6
Some businesses might have struggled during COVID-19, movies even bombed during the pandemic. But another brand that benefitted from the COVID-19 pandemic is Phonesoap. The company arrived in the Tank with an eye-opening pitch about how many germs are on the smartphones people hold in their hands and place atop a variety of surfaces every day. Yes, that even includes fecal matter, they claimed, citing data that purports phones are filthier than public bathroom surfaces. Naturally, this jarring data told by owners Wesley Laporte and Dan Barnes caught the Sharks’ attention. The product that aims to help rid phones of these gross germs is a UV sanitizer. Place a phone, as well as other items like keys and credit cards, inside to be disinfected in just a few minutes.
PhoneSoap initially raised money through a successful Kickstarter campaign and had already made almost half a million in sales when they arrived on the show. While the company received a few offers, the pair accepted Lori Greiner’s offer of $300,000 for 15 percent and a promise to take it to QVC. They haggled her down to 10 percent, which she accepted. As at December 2022, according to Shark Tank Blog, PhoneSoap celebrated annual revenue of $13.5 million, and by October 2023, its lifetime sales were $187 million.
3 Tipsy Elves
Season 5 (Holiday Special)
One of the most vibrant and fun pitches on Shark Tank, Evan Mendelsohn and Nicklaus Morton thought they had a genius idea to reinvent the concept of the ugly Christmas sweater. They had a variety of offerings already, some traditionally tacky, others inappropriately NSFW with adult-centric humor. But what Robert Herjavec especially loved is that the pair donated $2 from every sale to Stand Up To Cancer, demonstrating true Christmas spirit.
Herjavec was also impressed that Morton left his prosperous career to focus solely on this company. He awarded the dedication with a $100,000 investment for 10 percent of the business. Now having expanded to create apparel for other holidays as well, Tipsy Elves has found a way to make the business relevant all year ‘round. According to Shark Tank Blog, Herjavec still considers the deal one of the best he has ever made on the show. Millions of people wear one of these ugly sweaters while celebrating the holidays and enjoying one of the best Christmas movies of all time. The company has generated sales of $117 million, according to Yahoo Finance.
2 Simply Fit Board
Season 7
Another product that sometimes proves the most successful ideas are the simplest, the Simply Fit Board is a concave balancing board made of plastic that is designed for easy movement while doing tons of different exercises. The product, the mother-daughter owners Linda Clark and Gloria Hoffman explained, can be used to work every muscle in the core. Considering the success of products like the Shake Weight and Thigh Master from back in the day, Simply Fit Board seemed like it could go either way. Lori Greiner’s offer of $12,500 for 20 percent, five percent more than they were asking, is the one they accepted.
In seven months, sales went from $575,000 to $9 million, reports Looper, and by 2021, had catapulted to $160 million. A simple product offered at an affordable price for a high margin along with the backing of Greiner led to one of the biggest success stories ever on the show.
1 Wicked Good Cupcakes
Season 4
Cupcakes in a jar? Who could say no to that? Mother and daughter duo Tracey Noonan and Danielle Vilagie came up with this idea for simple yet delicious on-the-go cupcakes in a jar. But these aren’t packed with preservatives and additives: they use fresh ingredients stored in mason jars with sealed lids that make shipping simple while maintaining freshness. Each cupcake is made with eye-catching and mouth-watering layers, all of which are viewable through the jar. When the Sharks sampled them, they were blown away.
Kevin O’Leary bartered with the team, offering to give them the $75,000 investment they were seeking, but he wanted $1 per cupcake sold until he got his money back, followed by 50 cents a cupcake in perpetuity. They managed to get him down to 45 cents and it was a deal. A year later, the company reported that sales grew 600 percent, according to Food Republic. By 2018, the business was worth $10 million. Wicked Good Cupcakes began producing from a 21,000 square-foot facility, but remains focused on the handmade concept that made them famous.
