Trama

Gourmet meat business; a cooler with interior LED lighting.

The episode features several entrepreneurs presenting their business ideas to the panel of investors known as the Sharks: Mark Cuban, Daymond John, Kevin O'Leary, Lori Greiner, and Robert Herjavec.

First, Taylor Gwiazdon and Jayson Sandberg introduced "Liddup," a cooler equipped with interior LED lighting. They sought $100,000 for a 10% stake in their company. The product was still in the prototype phase with no sales but was patented. With only three manufacturers dominating the entire U.S. cooler market, their strategy involved licensing their design to one of these top players. Daymond exited first due to what he considered an unreasonable valuation, followed by Lori, who felt the product's innovation was too simplistic, likening it to merely placing a tap light inside a cooler. Robert proposed $100,000 for a 25% stake and offered to facilitate a meeting with a leading cooler manufacturer. However, Mark advised the entrepreneurs to take Robert's offer, while Kevin presented an offer of $100,000 for a 33% royalty deal. Due to hesitation from the founders, Robert withdraws his offer, and the entrepreneurs decided to go with Kevin.

Next, Dave Alwan from "Echo Valley Meats" pitched his gourmet meat business, asking for $300,000 for a 20% equity stake. His company had generated $1.25 million in sales over the last 12 months through a retail store and online/mail order operations, boasting a cost 42% lower than industry competitors. Mail order business margins are 28%. Profits of $20,000 on the $1.25 million in sales. Paid for all the equipment, smokehouse ($250,000), sausage stuffing machine ($150,000). Has to do $3 million in sales before real profits kick in. Wants the money for marketing and inventory. Dave doesn't know the CPA. Mark is out since Dave came in unprepared. Robert is out since there is no marketing strategy. Kevin is out as he didn't see the opportunity. Daymond is out since he eats fish. Lori is the last out as she doesn't think she can scale the business quickly. Note: The creator of Echo Valley Meats would return to the tank in the future (Episode 622) to pitch his company again.

Colin Grussing presented "Rootsuit," a company selling novelty cover-all costumes, seeking $100,000 for 15% equity. Despite impressive sales of $525,000 and profits of $140,000 last year, primarily through e-commerce, the product lacked branding, a point noted by Mark. The product faced heavy competition from imitators, leading Robert and Lori to exit. Kevin also withdrew, citing limited growth potential. Daymond offered $100,000 for a 50% stake intending to expand into retail. However, Colin's indecision led to Daymond retracting his offer, and Mark also declared the business not worthy of investment.

Rusty Allen introduced "Gobie H2O," an advanced filtered water bottle designed to compete with single-use water bottles, with a filter that boasted a 99.99% effectiveness against bacteria and germs. Asking for $300,000 for 10% equity, Rusty aimed to expand into niche markets including in Africa. The product costs $10 and retails for $30. The filter has to be replaced every 3 months. Despite achieving sales of $285,000 (10,000 bottles and 15,000 filters) over 17 months, major retailers suggested product diversification in color which had not been implemented. Lori exited first, followed by Kevin who criticized the high valuation, and Mark and Robert who doubted Rusty's strategic focus. Daymond made an offer of $300,000 for 40%, conditional on securing a major retailer, which Rusty accepted.

An update was provided on "The Coop," a previous deal with Barbara Corcoran. Lucinda Lent and Juliet Boydstun reported growth from $350,000 to $1 million in annual sales, expansion into Miami and Washington DC, and diversification into hosting external parties, with a new product line called "Coop crate" for party supplies.