13x24 - Episode 24

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: Tonight on the
season finale of "Shark t*nk,"

Kevin Hart returns to the t*nk.

Kevin is a household name
in entertainment,

but he is also
a prolific entrepreneur

and seasoned investor.

I think that a dream is dope
because it's yours.

I'm willing to make
an offer, but, you know,

you...
- You might not like it.

Lansing:
We know how to grind.

Our senior year, we ran this

and the $1.3 million
in sales

in our dorm room.
- Both: Wow!

[ Vocalizing ]

Forget the bag.
Go right there.

Hey, Kev, you just drowned
Barbara in the ocean.

You didn't even take a breath.

That's business, Barb.

[ Suspenseful music plays ]

♪♪

Narrator: First in
the t*nk is a product

in the health and
wellness space.

♪♪

What's going on, Sharks?

My name is Alexiou Gibson.

I was born and
raised in the Bahamas

and I am here seeking
$500,000 for 5% equity

in my company.
- Ooh!

Now, I'm a pretty healthy guy,

but I wasn't always this way.

In fact, when I
was 21 years old,

I weighed over 500 pounds -Dang.
- Wow.

And was told that I
wouldn't live to see 30.

So I knew that I needed
to do something right away

to get my life back.

I started working out more,

eating healthy, and
even went vegan.

Mark Cuban, yeah. [ Laughter ]

So, during my transformation,

I found a nutritious ingredient

that had 90% of the minerals
that our human bodies need

and I incorporate it into
my life every single day.

Now, what is it?

It's called sea moss.

Sea moss is a powerhouse marine
algae that exists in our oceans

and has 90% of the
essential minerals

that our human bodies have.

I wanted everyone
to have this product

so that they can become the
best versions of themselves as well,

which is why I created
The Transformation Factory,

a line of mouthwatering sea
moss gels that you can take

and get 90% of your nutrients
with two tablespoons every day.

So, tell me, Sharks, who's ready
to transform the world with me

and see nothing but
green in the future?

[ Laughter ]

- That was a great pitch.
- Now, Sharks,

in the front of you, you have

our mouthwatering
line of sea moss gels

for you to try yourself.

You'll be tasting our
mango, strawberry banana,

pineapple, dragon fruit,

and, last but not
least, our elderberry.

The strawberry tastes very good.

It's almost like jam or jelly.

Gibson: Yes.
- More like a smoothie.

Tastes more like a smoothie.

So, sea moss has 90%
of the essential minerals

that our human
bodies need to function.

So you have zinc, boron;

you have iodine
that treats thyroids,

and it also treats the gut.

The gut is where our immune system lives.
- Mm.

The only sweetener
in this is agave,

organic agave syrup.
- Alexiou,

you said you lost 300 pounds?
- Yes, I did.

How did you do that
and what was that like?

Well, I remember reading
an article that, you know,

some weight loss contestants
on different reality shows

worked out four
to six hours a day.

And I told myself, as
a personal challenge,

I'm like, "Man, these
people are as big as I am.

Some of them are twice
my age. What's my excuse?

I can do six hours. Let's do this."
- Wow!

I became obsessed with
becoming the best version of myself.

I would literally
be on the elliptical

and I would be envisioning
what does a more healthy

version of myself look like...
- Wow.

- A more confident version.
- Good for you.

And I started chasing
that guy in my mind.

- Very, very strong. -Yeah.
- Yep. Congratulations.

Hart: Seriously.
- Thank you, guys. Thank you.

What are your sales right now?

Right now, we are at
$3.5 million sales to date.

- Wow!
- Whoa! Hart: Wow.

- We started 11 months ago.
- Wow! -Holy cow.

How are you distributing it
to get that kind of trajectory?

Gibson: So, the way
this actually started,

my 80-year-old grandmother
was visiting from the Bahamas,

who has a lot of comorbidities
and taking medication,

so I knew I wanted
to protect her.

I would put this in her
coffee every morning.

I was sharing stories
on my Instagram Story,

just showing like
sea moss lattes

every 8:00 in the morning

and I'll give it to
Grandma, and they're like,

"I know what sea moss is.

I keep hearing about it.

Can I please stop
by and get some?

I'm a registered nurse.

I'm in the COVID wing."

And I'm like, "Absolutely.

You ladies are soldiers.

Come over, grab it."
- Hm.

We didn't charge.
Corcoran: [ Laughs ]

And I was giving
this away for free,

not even thinking that it
could've been a business.

And it wasn't until I was
getting about 60 orders a week.

I said, "Why don't I
open an online store

to make the process simpler?"

It exploded.

From there, we
started running ads.

We started getting
more SEO traction.

We had an 800% growth
from February to March,

when we started running ads
and people knew that we existed.

Did you make any money
on the $3.5 million in sales?

Yes, we're about


So you've made
$1 million in profit?

Yeah, $1.4 million.

We poured a lot of it back into the business...
- That's fine.

But we have extremely
healthy cash flow.

And is it all still
direct-to-consumer?

It's direct-to-consumer,


So I'm curious what
you'd use our money for.

So the way I would
use the money is

I actually want to have
a Transformation Factory

where we have the
ingenuity and the machines

to shelf-stabilize our products.

You want to do that to
get on retail shelves, right?

Yes, we want to
get to retail shelves.

How much are you
selling each bottle for?

So, an eight-ounce raw
sea moss sells for $24.99.

Hart: Whoa!
- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

- Whoa!
- This is $24.99?

- Yes, $24.99.
- Oh!

But you only use
two tablespoons.

You don't need the whole jar.

-[ Laughs ] -And what
does it cost you to make it?

The cost for the
smallest jar is $4.15.

Hart: Wow.
- That's good margins.

Gibson: Yes.
- That's great margins.

So how are you dealing with this

when you manufacture it?

How are you making
sure it's clean, safe, pure?

Great question. So,
because this comes

from outside of
the United States,

it has to be FDA-cleared
and cleared by Customs

to even enter for consumption.

Why would anybody pay $24.99

for a tiny bottle of what
looks like baby food?

How did they learn about this?

This is a culturally
driven product, right?

- It is.
- In our community,

African American community,

this is something that
is now being raved about

and we're seeing growth
in it. Greiner: Oh, okay.

So I've actually purchased
it and it was in a plain jar

and it was like
an exclusive buy.

It almost felt like a
drug deal. I'll be honest.

[ Laughter ]

"I know somebody
that can get you some,"

and I was like,
"Alright, I'll try it."

So, everything that you're
saying... Gibson: Yes.

I do know to be true.
What I'm most intrigued about

are your numbers.

Do you have other investors
or partners right now?

I am a sole owner. Cuban: Good for
you, baby. Greiner & Corcoran: Wow!

So it's all going to you.
Corcoran: We never hear this.

Greiner: Wow. Gibson: I
have no loans. I have no debt.

Being first-generation
entrepreneur and everything,

this is where I do need
help, to where, you know,

I really want a strong financial
background and a system.

That's one area that I would
love to be extremely tight.

Then why are you only giving
us 5% and why did you ask

for $500,000?
- That's a low number.

Because you don't need
the cash and you know,

if you need that much
help and guidance,


to get us excited.

So, you know, I just...
I'm very flexible in that.

I'll tell you what I'm
looking for the most is I want

to work directly with
one of you, you know?

I just want to be a
sponge and keep growing

as an excellent CEO.
- I got to be honest, man,

for me, you're checking
so many of the boxes.

Me being a health
and wellness guy,

I can understand how this
can fit in my other verticals.

There's tons of things that
I'm now getting my hands into.

Something like this
could be of interest.

- Yes.
- I don't see 5% doing it for me.

I'm going to ask for 20%.

I think that you're
going to need

a significant amount of help

in building the infrastructure
to run your business.

Corcoran: Can I
tell you something?

I was going to make
an offer of 20% as well.

I think that's a fair price

and I think I have the expertise

to help out in a
real, meaningful way.

So, then, if that's
the case, Barb,

then, if you want
to, we split the 20%,

we keep the offer at $500,000,

and we go 10 and 10.
- Great idea.

That's our offer.

I want to thank you,
Barbara and Kevin,

so much for your
first, initial, offer.

-[ Scoff ] -I do want
to give the Sharks

an opportunity to hear

their offers as well.
- Understood.

I like that, "First,
initial, offer."

[ Laughter ] Interesting. Okay.

Let me give you my first,

initial, offer, okay?
- Did I say that?

- You did. It's fine.
- And tell you what I'd do with this.

I'm really intrigued.
I love revenue.

I love cash flow even
more. You got both.

So that's really impressive.
- Yes. Yes.

I'm going to ask
for more, actually.

I'm going to give you
the $500,000 for 30%

and then I'm going to put
Chef Wonderful behind it

and I'm going to sell it direct.

I sell millions of
dollars of sous vide,

cakes, wine, spices
you name it...

Partner with QVC.
- None of that has anything to do

with the sea moss.

O'Leary: I'm not
doing it for 20%

because the amount of
work and setting this up

and actually
fulfilling to a giant

direct-to-consumer
play, like QVC,

is really, really challenging.

♪♪

- Alexiou...
- Yes.

I've had an offer on
the table way too long.

-Okay, alright, so
-Tell me right now

if you would like to
move forward or not.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: All
Sharks are still in.

Alexiou has two
offers on the table...

One from Kevin O'Leary

and another from
Kevin Hart and Barbara

for his company
Transformation Factory.

Gibson: Thank you very
much, Kevin and Barbara.

I love the fact that
you guys are interested.

What I would say is 20% is a
huge amount for $500,000...

- Then do the 30% offer, instead.
- Based on our current sales.

You know, we're doing over
half a million a month in sales.

Our profit margins are great.

There's a lot of
room for growth.

We've managed to
do this on our own

- You hope. You hope.
- And there's so many things that

we haven't scratched.
- Because you don't know what you don't know.

- Right.
- Alexiou, with all due respect...

- Yes.
- You sound like you really need

our help and expertise,
particularly when you want

to make a left-hand
turn into the retail space.

- Yep.
- Yes, yes.

We know how to not
tell you what to do...

You're the majority
shareholder...

- Yes.
- But we can certainly weigh in

on what's wise and what

our experience has been...
- Absolutely. Absolutely.

To help you make
a better decision.

- Yes.
- I don't imagine

you could go anywhere
else where you can get

the notoriety that this
character to my right,

this cutie pie right here...
- Yes, yes.

- I'm in love with.
- Thank you, Barbara. Thank you.

[ Laughter ] Not you. Not you.

I will say I 100%
agree with you.

My counteroffer to Kevin
and Barbara would be

for 20%, $800,000
in the company.

O'Leary: How do you like that seaweed?
- We can use that to move

into upping our numbers.
- I love you so much

and it sounds so
juicy, but no, thank you.

Cuban: Kevin.
- Barb, are you interested

in countering back
and going to $600,000

and staying at 20%?

I honestly feel $500,000...

Cuban: Kevin.
- With the help he needs is the right number.

I'll do it with
you at that price.

♪♪

Okay. If you want to
go at $600,000, right?

- Yes.
- And keep it at 20%...

- Yes.
- I'm telling you,

I truly do believe that there's

a significant value
in what you have here

- Yes.
- And I do honestly believe

in your growth potential

and also you, as
a businessperson.

I'm sold on you.
- Yes.

You're going to need
people that have relationships.

I know that, if Mark
aligns himself with me,

that makes whoever I
want to get on the phone...

-What happened
-even happen faster.

- For the small amount of money?
- Because you didn't want to go

over $500,000. I said I
would go to $600,000.

You said didn't want
to go to $600,000.

But you didn't
even take a breath.

Now I'm jealous.
Cuban: [ Laughs ]

Well, that's business,
Barb. You know like I know,

you can't think about it.
- Barb, is he still a cutie pie?

[ Laughter ] No, not at all.

So now you have an offer where
it's Mark and Kevin for $600,000.

Alexiou, what do you want to
do? You get two of us for $600,000.

I love that offer.
Mark, I'm a huge fan.

We're both vegan. I love it.

$600,000, 20%,

to work with both of
you will be incredible.

♪♪

You guys have a deal.

- Done!
- Wow!

- Done.
- Thank you so much, Barbara.

Thank you so much.
Greiner: Congratulations.

Hart: Thank you. Gibson: Yes.

Congrats on what
you accomplished.

- Thanks.
- Hey, man.

We'll encounter some big things.

Big, big things, man.

- Thank you.
- Love your story.

Love your story. Love
your business mind, alright?

- Thank you. Thank you so much, Mr. Wonderful, Lori.
- Gee.

Greiner: Yeah.
Gibson: And Barbara.

- Congratulations, man.
- Thank you.

Take care. Thank you, thank you.
- Bye-bye.

Yes.

Making a deal with Mark
and Kevin is incredible

and growing my business
with them is a dream come true.

Yeah, I got a deal! [ Laughs ]

Yeah, baby.

Hey, Kev, you just drowned
Barbara in the ocean.

- Well, I didn't drown Barbara in the ocean.
- Oh, my God.

I wanted Barbara.
- Gotten it away from me so fast. -That's savage.

I wanted Barbara
as a partner there,

but Barbara didn't want to go up.
- Whoa!

- And he's a rock-solid guy.
- What a guy.

- Yeah.
- Honestly, though. Corcoran: Great guy.

I think a story behind a product

makes a product
that much better.

♪♪

Narrator: This
season, we watched

our "Shark t*nk" entrepreneurs
achieve great success

and make a
difference in the world.

Chapul is paving the path
to our $50 million insect farm,

a robotic farm that will divert


every single day and
create 50 to 75 new jobs.

Drink spiking is so
prevalent around the world.

We're on a mission and
the world's going to know.

Franco: We've kept 1.7 billion
sticky notes out of landfills,

planted over 40,000 trees,

and converted our factory
into entirely wind power.

Gassen: Seniors no longer
have to call their family or friends

to come help them
change their sheets.

This has given them such
a sense of independence.

Moreira: Doughp for Hope
has donated more than $60,000,

to break the stigma
around mental health

and addiction recovery.

[ Roar ]

Lessem: I want to
spread the knowledge

of the real dinosaurs to kids.

That sense of awe that makes
you wonder about all of nature.

I'm so excited about this thing

'cause it's moving
at lightning speed.

Dose: Within five minutes of
airing, we sold out on Amazon.

It's been just over a month
and a half since we aired,

and I did $375,000 in sales.

Couch: Before "Shark t*nk,"
our sales were at $117,000.

Now our lifetime
sales are $4.4 million.

We've hit $6.3 million in sales.

With over 900,000
Souper Cubes trays sold,

we've done $14
million in lifetime sales.

It's been nine years and we
now have $40 million in sales.

Whoo!

You're just shaking
up an industry.

Ryan: Our total gross
sales was only $300,000.

Dude Products now has a
total of $120 million in sales.

Yeah, we flying off the shelves.

An entrepreneur's
journey is a tough road.

It's emotional.

If you haven't cried
about your dreams,

then your dreams
aren't big enough.

You're going to receive
a million and one nos,

but you have to keep on going,

because that one yes
will change your entire life.

Michelle: Our advice
to entrepreneurs is

to find something that you love,

do it with the person you love,

and you will be unstoppable.

We're very excited
to help you guys grow.

There definitely is no age
limit to entrepreneurship.

If you're in high
school or college,

you can be as successful
as anyone older.

It's possible to
change your path.

I used to be a teacher.

That's what I'd
always wanted to do.

But when family
came into the picture,

I took a leap of faith
and made it work.

Whoo!

Kobrosly: Something
like this can only happen

in a country like America.

I just hope that other people
out there can look at this

and realize that you
can follow your dreams

and you can make
something out of nothing.

That's just the American way.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: Next in the
t*nk is a company seeking

to help college athletes
maximize their potential.

♪♪

What's up, Sharks?
My name is Hunter,

alongside my partners,
Jason, Austin, and Charles.

We're here today
seeking $650,000

in exchange for 5% of our company.
- Ooh!

- Wow.
- Wow.

Having been a D1
college basketball player

and playing for the
NBA, I've witnessed

the many challenges
that athletes experience

by not being able to
monetize their brand.

Charles and I would regularly
walk by the campus bookstore

and see jerseys with his
number selling on them,

and not a penny went to him.

As you all can imagine,
this really pissed us off.

So, Sharks, that's
why we decided

to take matters
into our own hands.

Before you knew it, The
Players Trunk was born

as a platform for former
and current collegiate athletes

to monetize their brand
by selling player-owned,

team-issued, and game-worn gear.

Customers go to our site,

search for their favorite
college or athlete,

and find the gear in
each player's collection.

Hunter: In our first


we have over 800
athletes on our platform.

Additionally, in the first
few months of the Name,

Image, and Likeness period,
brand-new to college sports,

we have signed up dozens
of athletes to the platform.

We've put in the work
and we know how to grind,

but we would love it if
you would join our hustle.

♪♪

So let me jump in, just
so everybody understands

what's going on here, right?

So, when they talk about NIL,

or Name, Image, or Likeness...
- Name, Image, and Likeness.

That's a brand-new rule.

- Yeah.
- So, up until this past year,

college athletes
couldn't get paid.

Amateur athletes
couldn't get paid at all.

Somebody sued

and that led to all the
rules being changed.

- It's about time. Wow.
- Yes, it is.

So now, every college athlete

- Has the opportunity to make money.
- Is allowed to sell their name,

image, and likeness
and start to make money,

and some of them
are really getting paid.

But there's a lot of
competition in this space, right?

Because everybody
sees it as a gold rush.

So what sets you guys apart?
What's your secret sauce?

So, one, it comes
down to relationships.

We're young. We're


College kids see the
hustle, they see the grind.

They can relate to us. And also,

especially with the
NIL and merchandising,

we have licensing deals

with 13 of the most
prestigious universities,

so that really adds value...
- Any of this exclusive? Hart: Wow.

There's a couple ways we
can structure deals with athletes.

Some are on an exclusive
basis and some are not.

But there are also
tons of guys and girls

who are making a very solid
amount of money out of college,

selling their old
team-issued gear.

Post-collegiate opportunities...

If they want to
sell their jersey,

we don't need to pay licensing.

Greiner: No, they don't.
- This gear is theirs, once they leave.

Let's say you got
a class-A player

and he's going to
sell his old jersey.

What do you get for that?
- On the vintage stuff,

once they're out of school,

we're keeping 20% on that.

On the custom merch...

The T-shirts, the
hoodies, the collectibles,

the phone cases
that we're producing...

We're keeping 40% on that.

My personal jerseys were selling

for north of $1,000.

- That's great.
- How much did you get

of the $1,000?
- He got the whole thing because he's

- I mean, that's my company.
- Co-founder of the company.

[ Laughter ]

How much work are you
doing to spread the word,

doing the social,
pushing people to the site

to get them to buy merch?

The biggest thing
for us, in terms

of customer acquisition, has
been the athletes promoting

on their own social
following, given that...

O'Leary: So
you're just providing

the logistics and
infrastructure?

- Exactly.
- And then, once they leave,

they can sell their vintage
stuff at a much higher price.

Okay. Got it.
- Exactly. Once their eligibility

is completely exhausted.
- So, I'm looking at this deal.

So, 5%, $650,000,
$13 million valuation.

What are your sales?

Hunter: Yeah, so we started
the company just over a year ago

and, since that time, we've done

$1.3 million in sales.
- Whoa! -Wow!

- Good for you guys.
- How much have you made on that?

About $200,000,
we've made on that.

Wow. Our senior
year, we ran this

and the $1.3 million in sales

in our dorm room in college.

So, now that we actually feel
that we have the opportunity

to go on these college campuses,

interact with the
student athletes...

Face-to-face is always
better to get deals done...

Like, we feel like
the sky's the limit.

Alright, guys, look, the
big behemoth in your space

for merchandise
is a public company

that trades at a 20 multiple.

-So, Kevin... [ Whispering
] -On this $200,000

that you're making, that
would make you worth...

If you were public
and equivalent to them,

which you're not because
they're so much bigger than you...

You'd be worth $4 million.

Instead, you're telling me I
got to pay 10 times your sales.

$650,000, 5%, $13
million. That's nuts.

You got $1.3 million in sales.

Your valuation's crazy!

I mean, you're good guys,
but who told you to walk in here

with that valuation? Because, right now...
- Do you guys have

- I think it's a huge problem.
- Other investors?

Have you raised money, so far?
- Yeah.

We raised a round
a few months ago.

It valued the company
at $10 million, so,

again, coming in at
$13 million, we have...

What was that
deal, specifically?

So, we raised money
at a $10 million valuation.

We raised $1.25 million.

Hart: From whom?
- From a very credible,

established venture
capitalist firm in Chicago

that, among others,
are backers of Cameo

and other large
marketplaces out there.

But they're not Sharks.

I think that's a
crazy valuation.

Now, look, maybe they're putting
other people's money to work.

This is my money, okay?

My money. I don't
do stupid deals.

This deal, it's stupid.
- He's a bottom-fisher,

- is what he is.
- Guys, guys, I'm out.

♪♪

At 5%, it's tough.

- Not worth it.
- Right?

- Yeah.
- That's extremely tough.

You know, for something
like this to happen,

there has to be a
major upside in return.

So, you know, me
and Mark were talking.

I'm willing to make
an offer, but, you know,

you... -You might not like it.

♪♪

You know, you're
asking us to give money,

but you need us
to go work for you,

right?
- You need our legs.

And so, while venture
capital money is great,

Mark Cuban money and
Kevin Hart money and name

is a whole lot greater.

- It's a different ballgame.
- So, go ahead, Kev.

We're asking for 30%.

♪♪

Right, so 650K that
you asked for, for 30%.

Corcoran: That's a rich deal.

It is and it isn't.

So there's no amount of money
that you could pay otherwise

to get an NBA owner

and one of the biggest
stars in the universe

to add credibility
to your company.

And what I always say, look,


is a whole lot better

Corcoran: Ay, ay ay.
- Than 95% of a grape.

-Hey, guys, I'm not in this
deal. O'Leary: You sold money

for 10 million bucks.
- Officially, I'm out.

Because I want to just
give you some advice.

Why don't you make
your deal contingent

on them actually delivering

those stars to you...
- We don't do contingency, guys.

- Not hearsay.
- Frankly, I don't think

you're worth anywhere near

- Okay.
- 10 million bucks.

I think you're actually
worth about $2.1 million.

Lori, are you going
to make an offer?

- What are you going to do?
- Well, listen,

I don't think that this
is the right business

or valuation for me. [ Laughs ]

So, for those reasons, I'm out.

But you have a deal from
Mark and from Kevin Hart.

Are you going to counter them,

or what's going
on in your heads?

- There is no counter, guys.
- I don't understand

the reservation here.
- Yeah.

Guys, you got to
make a decision.

Look, I don't think,
you know, there are

better strategically
aligned partners

than you guys.

I think that, from
our standpoint,

to come down, you
know, to that valuation,

no matter who it's with,

it's just not in our best
interests right now.

- That's fair enough.
- I realize that you guys

could bring in star athletes.

You have the star
power. I think that

our counteroffer would
probably be $750,000

for 7.5%.
- No.

- No. Hart: Wow.
- Which is understandable.

I think that it's just, for us,

it's not smart to
go below that stake.

I love that you are staying true

to what you believe
in, as you should.

That was our offer.

You know, if it's not
taken, then we're out.

Yeah, we're out.

Guys, I also respected you

until you turned
that offer down.

Now, I think you're bozos.

♪♪

-Thanks, guys. Good luck.
Greiner: Thank you, guys.

Thank you, guys.
We appreciate it.

Greiner: Good luck.
- Thanks, guys. -Ciao.

♪♪

When their friends
see this and they said,

"You turned down
Mark and Kevin?"

- I don't understand that.
- They're going

to be like, "What..."
- They only made $200,000.

I get pitched this exact
same thing all the time.

- Yeah.
- So there are no barriers to entry.

To have us together?

- Yeah.
- It's strong.

Oh, my God.

They missed that opportunity.

I think, for us, it's
no regrets at all.

I'm proud of the guys

and, you know, proud
that we stuck to our g*ns

and, you know, walked
away from that deal.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: Next up is a product to
take your workouts to the next level.

♪♪

[ Laughs ]

♪♪

Wow.

[ Bell dings ]

Hello, Sharks.

My name is Tony "The
Black Stallion" Adeniran

from Houston, Texas,

and my ask is $100,000
for 10% of my business,

the Aqua Boxing Glove.

But, before I start, I
need to prep for one

of Mr. Wonderful's
royalty debt deals.

[ Laughter ] I know
how you like to roll.

[ Bell dinging ]

[ Laughing ]

[ Vocalizing ]

♪♪

[ Speaking indistinctly ]

He knows what he's doing.

[ Continues vocalizing ]

Yeah.

Yeah.
- Wow. Take that, Kevin.

Boo! -Forget the bag.

Go right there.
Greiner: Fight Kevin?

[ Laughter ] That
would really hurt

Mr. Wonderful. -Wow.
- Whoosah.

[ Laughter ] Alright,
now, I'm ready to go.

Now, I'm ready to go.

As a professional boxer
for the last 16 years,

I've been hitting the heavy bag
and cracking skulls in the ring.

As a result, I lost four years of
my professional boxing prime

due to hand injuries
from the constant impact.

I knew there had to
be a better way to train.

So I created the
Aqua Boxing Gloves.

The Aqua Boxing Gloves are
the only boxing gloves in the world

that do not require a
heavy bag or impact

to get an intense...

- Wow.
- Dynamic resistance workout.

And they're so simple to use.

All you have to do is add water,

strap them up, and
you're ready to train.

Corcoran: Wow. Cuban: Wow.
- Wow.

I'm talking improving speed...

[ Water sloshing
] [ Vocalizing ]

♪♪

Cardio...

♪♪

Not to mention, burn
fat and build muscle.

It's a total body
training tool, all-in-one.

Most of all, you could
train anywhere, anytime,

without the annoying
bag and chain.

Just add water, baby.

It's the Bachelor
of all boxing gloves.

Now, who's ready to sweat?

♪♪

This is heavy.

- Yes.
- How much does this weigh?

So, when it's empty, it
weighs about 2.5 pounds.

But you can fill it up
as heavy as 6 pounds.

So the hard question
is, how do you get

the second one on
when you're by yourself?

Boxers would just
bite that Velcro strap

and pull it across.
- Yeah, you pull it over

with your mouth, yeah.
- And Kevin should know.

- Yeah.
- I see him on Instagram, boxing, all the time.

So, all the gloves are
pretty much the same size?

Yeah. So my goal is, you
know, with the investment today,

we can go ahead and
create a different size.

So, right now, this is
for the average-size hand

to the larger hand. I
want to do one that's

for average to the
smaller-size hand.

You know,
honestly, I feel myself

getting faster
already. [ Laughter ]

Oh, my God! I had a flashback.
- Nice.

Nice.
- I had a flashback.

[ Laughter ]

So, what do you sell these for

and what do they
cost you to make?

So, I'm going to be
selling them for $199 retail.

"Going to," so you're
not selling them yet?

Yeah, so I'm not
selling them yet.

We just launched a
Kickstarter last month.

We did $40,000 in sales
with minimal marketing.

And what did you sell
them for on Kickstarter,

and have you delivered them yet?

On Kickstarter,
we did them for $99

and we have not
delivered them yet.

I went ahead and
took some samples

and tested them on athletes

and my regular fitness clients
because I own a boxing gym.

So I had them just cycle through

and test them and test
them, to give me any reason

why somebody would
need to return them,

get our hand sizes down,
and all that good stuff.

Tony, what do they cost to make?

Adeniran: So, they cost
us, right now, $50 to make

and we can get this
cost down another 30%

when we get volume up
and we get more molds.

To me, there is
some satisfaction,

I would think, in
hitting a bag, right?

- Yes.
- Like that feeling of like

I don't know.
- It's a hassle.

It's a hassle to get a
bag set up in your house

or you got to go to a gym.
- Yeah. -I was going to say.

- But, Kevin, how did that feel?
- Or you're traveling.

Kevin, when you had
it on, how did that feel?

It's a workout... It's
a workout, for sure,

and what I think,
I think that this is

more of a fitness product

- Right. It's not boxing training.
- For your actual boxer, right?

This is more about the person

that wants to work out,
that comes from boxing,

- That's right.
- Without having access to said heavy bags.

- Like a weight bar or something.
- Yes.

- 100%.
- So, what's your background?

How did you get
involved in this?

Yeah, so, you know, I'm a
first-generation American.

My parents came from
Nigeria to give us a better life.

It was actually
very hard for me,

transitioning into
becoming a boxer,

because, you know, when you
come from overseas and you have,

you know, people who immigrated

and give up
everything to get here,

they don't want to see
you take a major risk.

So, my parents were like,
"You're crazy," you know.

They're they're seeing
backyard fighting on TV

and they're thinking
that's what I'm doing.

Speaking of boxing,
you said that you actually

have a boxing
gym. It's a business.

- Yes.
- Now, those kinds of businesses

got wiped out
during the pandemic.

- Yes.
- What happened to yours?

Adeniran: So, we took a big hit.

Last year was one of the
toughest years in business

and personally
that I've ever had.

You know, when the pandemic
hit, my gym shut down.

So I pivoted my business.

I started driving
from house to house,

going to my clients, you know.

I would stand at the
bottom of the driveway

and I'd be calling out
one-twos, combinations...

-[ Laughs ] -...all
that good stuff,

you know. Greiner: Good for you.

And, every day, I
would watch my clients

and I was like, "I got
to figure something out,"

because, even if I
wanted to travel with that,

I couldn't, even
if I had a truck.

I mean...

So, that's where I came up

with the idea.
- So this product was born

out of the pandemic.

That's basically what happened.

You know, Tony,
I love the hustle.

I see that. I get it.

I'm your guy. If
anybody's going to do it...

I'm trying to figure out,

you know, when I do
a "Shark t*nk" deal,

where can I add the leverage?

This is not a product category

that I have momentum
in, anywhere.

That's the only reason
I'm not doing this.

I'm out.

I completely understand.
I appreciate the respect.

You know, you're
right in the beginning.

You have a lot farther to go.

You're going to get there.

But there are so many
things I don't know

that it's not the right
investment for me.

I wish you good
luck. I'm sorry, I'm out.

Thank you. That's alright.

Cuban: Look, I like the
product. The challenge is,

as the sole proprietorship,
it's your business,

you don't have to
scale a lot, right?

You could sell 1,000 of these

at 200 bucks a pop every quarter

and make good money, right?

And that's a good business.

That's not a good
investment, right?

Because, in order
to get it to scale,

it's going to take
a lot of money,

a lot of packaging,

and you're not
close to that yet.

So, for those reasons, I'm out.

Okay. I appreciate it.

Corcoran: So, this
isn't my cup of tea.

I feel like it's not in
my bailiwick at all.

So, simply because of my
lack of knowledge, I am out.

Totally understand. Thank you.

♪♪

Hart: Tony, I mean, look,

the hustle behind it... amazing.

I got to be honest,
man, you know,

boxing is always about
the experience for me.

It's always about
the feeling of,

"Oh, my God, I'm in there.

I'm hitting something,"

- Hitting, yeah.
- Whether it's the mitts,

whether it's the bag.
- One question.

If you had to train right now...

I know you love boxing

- Mm-hmm.
- And you travel a lot...

How would you train right now?

I'm going to shadow box.

Why not travel
with those gloves?

For me to go and
take this with me

- Yeah.
- And strap up and then say,

"Okay, you know,
now, I'm ready,"

this seems like a lot for me.
- Okay.

- That's me, personally.
- You can get a better workout

with those in 15
minutes than you could

with shadow boxing in one hour.

I can't personally
bring value to that.

I could see a guy like you
leading the charge on this.

If you put these gloves
on, I could see a million

other people putting
these gloves on.

-Tony... -Why not?

If I can't passionately
speak on your product,

then I'm not the right partner.

Your partner should
be able to stand

side-by-side with you

and match your level of energy.

If I can't do that, then
I'm of no value to you.

I'm not the right partner

for you in this
particular space.

- Understood.
- That's why I'm out.

♪♪

Okay. I appreciate it.

- Good luck, Tony.
- Thank y'all so much.

-You'll get there.
Hart: Good luck, man.

-Alright. Greiner:
Good luck, Tony.

♪♪

The Sharks definitely
missed an opportunity,

but it is what it is.
I'm going to continue.

I'm a fighter. That's
what fighters do.

You get knocked
down, you get back up.

But I don't even feel like I
got knocked down today.

sh**t, I'm still standing, baby.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: Up next, a new
approach to a fast-food favorite.

♪♪

Hi. My name is Lucas Bradbury,

founder and CEO
of Project Pollo,

America's first vegan
chicken fast-food chain.

- Wow!
- Sharks,

I'm here to protest.

We. Demand. Change!

And when it comes to
quick-serve restaurants,

there's only two
options available...

One, something
that's affordable,

made from very "questionable"
meat-based product;

or, two, something that
costs a wing and a leg,

that's on the healthier side.

And, as Americans,
we all deserve

affordable access
to plant-based foods

and that's why we
created Project Pollo,

real delicious food
made from real plants.

Now, our original
project is a hand-breaded

crispy chicken patty
that's made from 100% soy,

and it's truly to die for.

But, no animals had to
die for it to be this good.

[ Laughter ] Now, we
didn't just stop there.

We also have burgers, wraps,

salads, shakes,

and, oh, yeah, my
personal favorite...

Buffalo mac & cheese.

Greiner: [ Laughs ]
- Take a look at that.

And, Sharks, our
mission was simple...

We wanted everyone,
regardless of their income,

to be able to afford
these options.

After all, the future of mass
consumption is plant-based.

Now, Sharks, it's time
that we demand better.

-[ Laughs ] -It's time
that we free the chickens,

it's time that we start
putting people over the profits,

and start doing
pollo with a purpose.

And that's why I'm here today
brace yourselves, Sharks...

Seeking $2.5 million
-Whew! O'Leary: Yeah!

- In exchange for 5% of my company.
- Yeah!

[ Laughter ] -Whoa, whoa.
- Whew! Whew!

- Hello! -Oh, boy.
- Now, Sharks...

Corcoran: Oh, my God.
- Before you all choke

on that valuation of...
- $50 million valuation.

- $50 million.
- $50 million?

I'd like the
opportunity for you all

to try the product I've
made for you guys today.

So, in front of you, the
half sandwich is going to be

our deluxe chicken sandwich.

You have our chicken
nuggets on there,

served alongside of our
fries. And then, of course,

the buffalo mac &
cheese sitting there.

Happy to answer questions
for you guys, but please enjoy.

- Really good.
- I appreciate that. Thank you.

- Wow.
- Coming from a true chef, that's amazing.

Yeah, Chef Wonderful likes it.

- Mmm.
- I've tried a lot of fake chicken.

This is the best I've had.

- No, this is really good.
- I appreciate that.

It's proprietary for us

and that's one of the
reasons we really, really

are taking this initiative

to scale out as
quickly as we are.

- Really good.
- Lucas, do your customers

get fooled by the name?

I would assume,
pulling up to your place,

that Project Pollo
meant it was chicken.

Yeah. And so we
did that strategically

because we wanted to
engage with the guests

and we explain at the counter,
this is 100% plant-based.

We have people
that are reluctant,

that want to step back and
say, "Oh, no, it's not for me."

That's our interaction
with them, to say,

"Let us give you a sample.

Let us buy your
first meal. It's on us.

If you don't like it, no problem."
- You do?

Okay, Lucas, look,
the food's great, okay?

I got it.

$50 million valuation.
- [ Laughing ] Yeah.

Lucas, honey, sweetie, poopsie,

let's get right to it.

You must have a ton of sales.

Yeah. So I really, really
thought that there was

a void in the market
for someone to really

take some initiative and
go on a national level,

positioning themselves to
put plant-based foods out there.

- Is there a number coming soon?
- There is.

Let me tell you this
little backstory here.

-[ Laughs ] You know, the
number -And so, you know...

Gets smaller,
the later it comes.

-[ Laughs ] -So,
typical story...

Maxed out credit cards,

take every bit of savings
out of the family's account...

My wife never knew
about it... dump it all,

bought a food truck,
response was great.

That was September


And then, open another location
December, January, February.

Cuban: Are these
trucks or locations?

These are all physical,
brick-and-mortar locations now.

O'Leary: Corporate-owned.
- Corporate-owned. Greiner: Wow.

-You opened one a
month? O'Leary: Okay, okay.

We have our 11th and 12th
locations opening next week.

Right now, if we
stopped current progress

with these opening stores,

we'd be doing just
roughly shy of $10 million.

Let's talk about what
you've done year-to-date.

Year-to-date, we're
shy of $3 million.

That's going through the
end of August, we're shy.

Forward looking, we should
be hitting $6 million, maybe...

And that $3 million
is how many stores?

- That's off of eight stores. Greiner: Yeah.
- Wait.

You opened up all
these stores in one year?

I've never heard
of such a thing.

- Yeah.
- How did you do that so fast?

Yeah, so, I don't want

to drag this on for
the next five years,

wondering if my
concept has validity,

if it has scalability.

So, originally, I made
the decision, like,

we're going as fast
as we possibly can.

Greiner: And you didn't
have proof of concept,

so you needed a lot of money,
you needed a lot of manpower,

and it's taking an
enormous risk all at once.

- 100%.
- Where did you get all the other money? Obviously...

Yeah, so, let me walk
you through the money.

So, bootstrapped out of
my pocket to start off with.

So how much money
did you put into it?

- That was the food truck, right?
- It's the food truck.

That was the food truck.

Our first location in Austin.

All-in, I put about,
roughly, ballpark,

about $60,000 up front,

obviously not paying
myself or anything,

and then maxing out cards,
different things of the sort,

to get us to that
Austin location.

Got it open. Obviously,
Austin, Texas,

is a very receptive
market for plant-based.

Exceptionally well
right off the bat.

- What were your sales?
- So, at first, in Austin,

we were doing only
about $10,000 a week.

Over about a 90-day period, that
got up to about $23,000 a week

and it became a really,
really good store for us

because that store's
about 27% profit margin.

As we continue to scale,
going into next year,

I have out 18
additional locations

we're going to be opening,

but we have the
foundation to do 24.

It seems to me... I'm
sorry to be doubtful.

- Sure.
- And I'm an optimist.

- Yeah.
- But it seems way,

way too spectacular for me.

I'm confused as to how...

- Yeah, how could that be?
- It's so fast.

Like, figuring out where
these locations would be,

getting some type of real-estate deal...
- Yeah.

Onboarding a team, and then,

for your locations in
other cities, like what...

- And building it out.
- Yeah. -Oh, it's great.

- To build out the space.
- And not having total chaos,

which comes with extreme growth.
- Total chaos.

I thrive in chaos.
I'm an operator.

I'm just curious...
What is your debt

to have done all of that so fast?
- Debt?

-How much money did you raise
-We have zero dollars in debt.

- Yeah, how much have you raised?
- You have zero debt?

Yeah. So, I raised
$1.75 million back in June

at a $17.5 million valuation
off a single investor.

That capital can take us up
through the end of next year.

Back to your question, when
you asked, like, how is it done?

COVID, obviously,
was devastating

for a lot of people.

You had a lot of
nationals that liquidated.

I thought of it
as an opportunity

to go in and get those leases.

- So you were getting a great rate.
- We got great rates.

I signed ten-year deals.
- Wow.

- Of course you did.
- Well, yeah.

What's your background?
I mean, you are like,

you know, savant-like
-My background's QSR.

With all of this.

So, I grew up super
low-income family.

My dad was a bus
driver and my mom,

she was a cook
at our elementary.

I got made fun of my whole life

for my mom being
our elementary cook,

and so I wanted nothing to
do with the restaurant business.

College came
around, needed money,

became a delivery
driver at Pizza Hut

and my personality and my drive,

I moved up really quick and
through all the positions...

Supervisor,
manager, et cetera...

I caught myself
in a great divide

because I wanted to
continue in the QSR space,

but I'd just recently turned
vegetarian at that time,

and I had an
opportunity to go work

for a regional company
out of San Antonio

that was plant-based and
they were wanting to scale.

Quickly, in our scale, we
went from one location,

increased sales by


opened up three
additional locations.

So... So this enormously
lightning-speed of growth

- Yeah, so fast.
- Is not new to you.

You've been doing
this a long time.

- Yeah.
- So fast.

It's not new, but it's
the interesting part.

Like I said earlier, I want
to find out, real quick,

validity and scalability.

Lucas, let me take
a s*ab at it, okay?

I'm a pragmatic investor,

financial balance sheet guy.
- Sure.

I'm very impressed with
your executional skills.

I believe you.

This rush to open
units is quite impressive.

But you're asking me
to pay you a valuation

as if you've already
achieved a $10 million run rate.

I'm choking on it.
Not the chicken.

I'm choking on the valuation.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: All
Sharks are still in,

but they are concerned
about the ambitious timeline

and high valuation of Lucas'

fast-food vegan chicken
business, Project Pollo.

You're asking me to
pay you a valuation

as if you've already
achieved a $10 million run rate.

I'm choking on it.
Not the chicken.

I'm choking on the valuation.

♪♪

I'm having a real hard time

with it. I got to give you
-Yeah, let me discuss

what you're talking about.
- $2.5 million,

which is a serious
chunk of change.

I get basically nothing.
I get a tip in equity.

And, as you finance, if it's
not going to be debt equity,

I get diluted further down.

I feel like I'm
getting deep-fried.

- Great.
- Like, it's just... It's brutal.

- Great.
- I can't go there.

I'm out. I'm out.

Appreciate that feedback.

Then let me jump in as well.

What you've
accomplished is great,

but I've got two problems...

One, plant-based
does not mean healthy.

- Sure.
- There's nothing healthy

about what you're doing, right?
- Absolutely not.

And, to me, that's going to fall

off-trend very quickly.

I think, over the next
two to three years,

it's going to go the
opposite direction,

where plant-based and healthy

have to go together.

That's a challenge, in my mind.

That, plus the
valuation, I'm out.

Okay, I respect that.

And I understand the
healthy aspect of that.

Our concept is built

around accessibility
and affordability

for the average American.
- How much does it cost?

I don't think we know what
a chicken sandwich costs.

Our average menu item is $6.50.

I'm going to say, man,
you know, it's so fast.

- Sure.
- Like, you... "I got the truck.

After I got the
truck, we did this.

I thrive in chaos and
that's how I succeed.

And now we're here,
we're here, we're here."

I think it's too much of a risk,

especially for what
your ask is, for me,

so, for that reason, I'm out.

Is there a number that
makes more sense to you,

that may not be
such a high valuation,

that you're more
comfortable making that,

you know, investment in?

Listen, I'm here to make
a deal with a partner.

I'm not here for a
commercial. I'm not here

for the prime time. I'm
here -Hey, Lucas. Lucas.

- Looking for a real partner.
- Let me clear the field here.

You remind me of the
business called Tom & Chee.

Probably seven years ago,

- Yeah, me too.
- They came in to "Shark t*nk."

- Me too.
- Great guys, great operation.

They had two stores
when they came in here...

A truck and a
store in St. Louis.

Within two years, they had 35.

Within four years,
they lost everything.

- They're bankrupt.
- They not only lost their business,

they lost both houses.

It's the saddest
thing -How much debt

- to be part of.
- Did that company assume?

I'm not suggesting that for you,

but they were too darn fast!

Too darn fast!
- So fast.

And all my buttons
are going up, okay?

So the idea that you're
building a business

so that you could be worth a lot

and the idea that
you're moving so fast,

it's like the farthest thing

that I could ever
feel comfortable with

and even go to bed
at night and sleep.

I wouldn't be able to do this.

So, for those reasons, I'm out.

- I appreciate that.
- Okay. -And, you know,

I think, on the one
hand, I can see...

I understand where
your mind is going.

It's like, "Look what I did.

I was smart. I was scrappy.

I went into real estate
where no one else had it,

so I got ten-year,
locked-in, great rates."

But you're like
a tornado, right?

So you don't know
what's going to happen

- Correct.
- When that touches down.

'Cause you want to keep going.

The cyclone's still going.
- Sure.

And that's scary to me.

And your valuation's
astronomically high.

I'm out.

♪♪

I get that it's
high, and, again,

I'm looking for a
partnership here.

- $2.5 million... too much. Greiner: So high.
- Make me a deal.

O'Leary: Yeah, it's like
too much. Greiner: Yeah.

I mean, if you'd come
in here for $500,000,

it might've
worked, but not this.

I'm sorry, Lucas. Thank you.

-Appreciate everyone.
Greiner: We're sorry.

It tastes great, though.

Thank you for sharing it.
- I hope to serve

in a city near you soon.

Thank you, guys. See you, guys.
- Bye.

The Sharks gave me a
lot of valuable advice today.

A lot of it was to slow down.

I'm not taking the
advice to slow down.

Lori compared me to a cyclone.

I'm from Kansas.

Tornadoes are
in our backyard every day.

We're going to explode
and we're going

to continue this pattern and go

all across the United States,
opening up Project Pollos.

♪♪

♪♪