‘Shark Tank’ review: Freshly Picked, SwimZip, FitDeck, LifeCaps, and Daisy Cakes
Ready for some more great stuff from “Shark Tank“? There was definitely plenty of that in the new episode that aired on ABC tonight, even if most of them are probably not something that will appeal to most people. We probably wouldn’t pick up any of these products ourselves, but if you are a parent or if you love fitness, you may be interested in some of this stuff. (As for LifeCaps, let’s just pretend that this never happened.)
In addition to sharing the links to all of the products below, the show also gave a brief update on Daisy Cakes. We liked this, mostly because it was one of the few businesses highlighted that actually got into trouble after being on the show. Let this be a lesson: Getting in the tank does not always equal success.
SwimZip (asking for $60,000 for 5%) – Oh, the classic “what do I need you for?” argument from Kevin O’Leary. This was a pretty nice product in that it serves a great purpose in helping to protect children from harmful rays of the sun. It’s also at a price point that most consumers are going to be able to afford it.
Unfortunately, there’s nothing revolutionary here, and any designer (including a Betsey Johnson vs. this company’s Betsy Johnson) could pick this up and work with it. You are basically investing in a person more than anything else. Lori Greiner, always charmed by the inspirational stories, made an offer of $60,000 for 20%. The evaluation was fair, and eventually she took it. The only part of this we didn’t care for was Lori making her feel like a terrible person for wanting to keep more of her value.
FitDeck (seeking $300,000 for 20%) – Look, it’s a guy who wants to try to make fitness fun! We say this in ridiculous fashion, mostly because we have a hard time really buying that anyone is going to come up with cards to help you with a workout. This guy is the most interesting man in the world, though: He’s a former Harvard and Yale student, a Navy SEAL, and an investment banker.
Personally, we feel like video games or workout videos are a much better way to implement fitness and fun in the modern era. There’s way too much competition for something that could just at this point feel dated and for a small market. A cool guy, but no deal.
LifeCaps (seeking $200,000 for 30%) – We still have no idea how this is real. We’re not saying that this product is BS, but it just sounds so implausible that you can just survive for a long period of time thanks to a pill. There’s no clinical trial to back up anything that he is saying, and the liability issues are way too high for anyone to actually want to invest in something that could be a liability to them down the road. If you’re actually going to come on this show and make big claims, pay for studies first!
Our two favorite parts of this? That he is a musician rather than someone with real experience in this space, and also that he referred to Lori as “Barbara.”
Freshly Picked (seeking, understandably, a big chunk of cash) – Who knew that the moccasin business for babies was so lucrative? This company has a great story that is all about hard work rather than tears, and has proven sales of $500,000 THIS YEAR. Fantastic. We don’t even know why they decided to be on the show in the first place.
Then again, there was one person present here who could still take this business over the top, and that was the person who got the deal. Daymond John got 25% of the company for $150,000, and we have a feeling that it will be worth it. He’s got the connections, the know-how, and the money to push her over the top.
What was your favorite product tonight? Let us know in our ever-so-handy poll below! You can also click here to see some other highlights from this season.
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Photo: ABC