‘Shark Tank’ revisited: Coolbox, PrideBites, Trobo, NoPhone
We’re getting closer to the end of the “Shark Tank” summer hiatus, and as a result of that, it only seems appropriate for ABC to be repeating episodes that aired later on in this past season.
Tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, for example, we’re going to get a shot to see an episode that first aired this past April, and one that featured everything from a “smart” toolbox to a fake phone that really seemed perfect for novelty stores at the time. How are some of these products doing now, and do we notice any huge change since the first episode aired? Let’s take a look…
PrideBites – We’re really impressed by the variety and the presence that this company has. We still think that the name sounds a little bit too much like food, but people love their pets so much that they’ll likely jump at personalized products featuring them. What we always look for after the show are products that aren’t desperately clinging to the show for their fifteen minutes of fame / sale; while PrideBites acknowledges their “Shark Tank” history, it feels like they’re living more in the present and focuses on their products — and they’ve got a lot of them.
Trobo – When Robert Herjavec first jumped aboard the product, licensing was one of his interests. While we haven’t seen a tremendous amount of public headway there, we do still continue liking what the product is trying to achieve. Given how much there is a need for STEM careers, any move to help children become interested in it at an early age is smart. The idea here is to make lessons on a tablet more interactive, and hopefully there are further steps still to come.
NoPhone – There are a couple of new packages available for sale on their website, so we suppose in that sense, there’s a little bit of progress here since the initial airing. Yet, at the same time we do feel that this is mostly a viral product that will take advantage of the publicity whenever these episodes re-air. We suppose it has a practical use for people with phone addictions, but the majority of consumers will probably see it more as a gag gift. Nothing has changed there.
Coolbox – The idea in theory here remains interesting (a smart toolbox), but at the same time, it still feels like a waiting game. Their official site is taking pre-orders, but it may be 2017 until the product is delivered. We know that they received an investment with Lori Greiner on the show, but she noted on social media after the episode that this was a deal that didn’t end up working out. We wish them the best, but they really need to be more active on social media if they want to make a splash — they’ve been mostly quiet on Twitter and Facebook since the episode aired.
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