‘Shark Tank’ preview: Brazi Bites, Umano, SockTABs, National Association of Bubble Soccer, Mensch on a Bench
For those out there who appreciate variety on “Shark Tank,” we’re going to have a flurry of it on the next episode. We’ll have a sporting event, a food product, a better way to store your socks, and then also a new clothing brand. We’re also going to have the same roster of Sharks overseeing this episode as the one last week. Apologies to all fans of Barbara Corcoran.
Before we dive into our spotlights of these products below, let’s start things off by sharing the synopsis:
“When an entrepreneur from Ft. Lauderdale, FL brings in an imaginative, new recreational sport to the tank, the sharks get a chance to suit up and ram into each other with reckless abandon; two brothers from Athens, GA designed a fashion brand enabling the wearer to do good while looking good; and a couple from Rockford, IL have a solution to the frustrating mystery of the missing sock. And an update on the Hanukkah toy company, Mensch On A Bench designed by Neal Hoffman from Cincinnati, OH, that Lori Greiner and Robert Herjavec invested in during Season 6.”
Brazi Bites – We’re all about these already, provided that the numbers and the business plan is strong. We love Brazilian food for one, and there are not many gluten-free Brazilian cheese bread bites on the market. Heck, we’re not sure that there are any. If these are genuinely tasty, there’ll be plenty of gluten-free shoppers flocking to them who feel like most options for them in stores are terrible.
National Association of Bubble Soccer – Can you really invest in something like this? Spikeball did create a little bit of a template that it is possible, but this seems like it would be a pretty risky endeavor. It’s not the sort of sport that you can just pick up and play, since it’s not like people have these bubbles just lying around. Also, it seems easy to bust up your legs. It seems perfect for an “Amazing Race” challenge, but not so much an investment.
SockTABs – The packaging is not great, but we do think the business fills some sort of need. It is easy to lose socks, have someone else take them, and spend a ton of time looking for them. It’s a cheap-enough product that with the right placement in stores could sell pretty easily. They just need to find a way to convince people they need it, since it seems somewhat like a product people would be intrigued about, but would hesitate to buy.
Umano – We really admire the idea, which seems to be based primarily out of a desire to empower and encourage kids to express their creativity. They create artwork, the company puts it on shirts, and with every purchase they give back to inspire kids to be creative. All of this is great. The problem is that you are paying for the artwork and the vision, with most clothing costing upwards of $40. It’s a lot extra for a design, since no one knows about the brand itself.
If you want to get some other highlights from “Shark Tank” this season, head over to the link here! Also, sign up right away to get some more TV scoop on everything we cover, sent right over to you via our official CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: ABC.)