‘Shark Tank’ preview: Chi’Lantro, Milk Snob, Jack’s Stands, Toor, and Rent Like a Champion
Tonight, we’ve got another episode of “Shark Tank” coming on the air, and the most notable thing about it right away is that it marks the return of one Chris Sacca to the Tank! We loved him and his crazy cowboy shirt the first time around; we’re not sure the fashion trend will continue, but he’s feisty and will probably have a lot to say.
Before we get into tonight’s products, a quick note that the update segment tonight will be all about Rent Like a Champion, a business that seems to have found a reasonable amount of success for itself in a field that you would think on paper would be dominated by Airbnb. Good for them! Update: Head over here to read our review from tonight’s episode.
Milk Snob – When we first heard the name, it admittedly took us a minute or two in order to determine precisely what the company was. Now, we’re starting to figure that out a little bit better after visiting the website: This is effectively a multi-use cover that businesses can use for the purposes of protecting your child from dangerous ultraviolet rays, a nursing cover, or a cover for a car seat or even a shopping cart. We’re not the target market for this, but we like that they’re thinking with multiple uses in mind and they seem to be properly positioning themselves as a great gift for baby showers.
Jack’s Stands – This is a really interesting concept, mostly in that it’s basically a business revolving around helping kids learn about business! That’s not something that you tend to see very often. Jack, who is only ten years old himself, has created an idea where his company provides kids locations, permits, and everything in order to start up a lemonade / drink stand, and they can come in and make a little money while learning valuable business / life lessons. We do think on paper this sounds great. The issue we have is that for many kids and parents, the real teaching moments feel more organic i.e. making your own lemonade stand in your front yard. That feels a little more appealing to us if we saw that as a neighbor.
Chi’Lantro – This sounds delicious: Basically, they’re a restaurant business selling variations on Korean cuisine cuisine, with one of the specialties being kimchi fries. Food trucks have certainly done well on the show before (see Cousins Maine Lobster, who have a physical location but for the most part operate food trucks), but you need a unique-enough angle. They seem to have that.
Toor – We gotta be honest: The first thing we think about when we hear the word “lockbox” is the infamous “Saturday Night Live” sketch featuring Al Gore. That aside, this could prove to be a worthwhile product in the Tank and for the real-estate business. It gives further flexibility to home buyers, while at the same time making things easier to facilitate for sellers via app control and and a wider array of functionality. We do feel like this is a business all about connections, so we’ll see whether or not the company can show it has a plan to reach out to real-estate companies around the country / the world.
We’ll be back soon with some “Shark Tank” video previews. For now, let us know what you think about some of these companies, and head over here to get some other highlights from the season so far! (Photo: ABC.)