Jadzia

I didn't get that company at all. I live in Ann Arbor and I have a friend who makes a ton every month renting out her extra room on AirBnB. It's not like people in college towns have never heard of it. We do have the internet here.

BrewCrew

Why would you factor in all of the bowl games? It is not like they are played on the college campuses of the teams playing. Three months of the year is still pretty seasonal.

PhantomStranger

The sharks are looking for big, future pay days with any business. Selling out to AirBnB is the only realistic end game for that company. The upside for the sharks is very limited.

johnnysd

The problem no one acknowledged is that once these companies sign with the small company, they are open to the idea and I doubt Rent Like a Pro could enforce any exclusivity so it would be super easy for them to sign up the houses that they already pitched to. So the only value is their customer list.

Not to say that a company could not compete nationally with AirBNB but these guys were not that.

astrochimp

Kid Kone

DJariya

I had a feeling the 100 calorie ice cream would taste like crap. Didn't seem like anyone enjoyed it.

As far as the locker goes, Amazon already does something quite similar to it with those being placed in 7-11's for shipments. I don't see how the version presented on the show could be profitable let alone convincing people to subscribe to it.

The two ladies at the end were wise to choose Lori. That device definitely needs some kind of infomercial presentation.

astrochimp

Loved the look on the Sharks faces when they tasted that ice cream

PhantomStranger

It probably would have been better to market that product as a "frozen treat" instead of ice cream. People have definite taste expectations when you call it ice cream and I knew it would taste terrible at 100 calories per pint.

Troy Stiffler

I bought some Arctic Zero "ice cream" recently. It's basically ice cream, made with protein powder. 10% the calories and 10% the flavor.

I'd rather indulge in some good ice cream and be done. Ice cream should satisfy. There's nothing satisfying about low-calorie ice cream.

Troy Stiffler

The realistic standard to make venture capital worthwhile, is 10x return within 7 years. A company could become bigger and go public and be a cash cow. But whether you're opening a restaurant, or funding a new product, 10x over 7 years is what you're betting on.

johnnysd

Yeah but these are not traditional venture capital deals.

It was funny watching them try the ice cream. You could tell that it must have tasted terrible.

Lori was the only choice for the balance board thing. They have a small window.

Jadzia

I actually want to buy that balance board thing. I have a standing desk at work and I thought that might be good to stand on sometimes to mix it up.

Michael Corvin

Yeah, the balance board was a no brainer for Lori. The rest of the products were crap.

Troy Stiffler

Yea they are. They're also relatively small and disciplined. Makes sense though, as even the Sharks can't be handing out money for years on end.

Nobody gets their equity and turns a gargantuan profit. That's just something that happens to a handful of entrepreneurs. The "real" end game is that maybe you build a product to sell a few million a year, and you take home a few hundred thousand salary (as the founder/CEO). And maybe you can sell the company eventually and cash out a million bucks. At that point, investors are gladly bought out at the 10x over 7 year rule. If they dropped $200k, they're looking to get out for $2M within 7 years. Some win, some lose. Nobody invests $200k, expecting it to turn into $100M.

In the ecosystem of startups and new products, the likelyhood of you being the next Mark Cuban or Kevin O'Leary and cashing out for hundreds of millions/billions is next-to-none. All the investments on Shark Tank are small scale.

astrochimp

Do people actually lose socks in the wash? I've been doing laundry for 25 years, never left a sock behind.

TGM

sob sob, I had a brain aneurysm and nearly died, and was brought back to life by God to sell chintzy shit for a problem that truly doesn't exist. sob, sob. get in the fucking sea.

johnnysd

I found her intensely dislikable. Pretty crappy episode though I would not mind trying the Brazi Bread.

Red Dog

At least she didn't cry.

DWilson

I almost tend to think Damon probably made the deal for the sake of appearance. His caveat (based on his gut reaction earlier) of checking with the other company, probably means it'll never clear the next stage.

Norm de Plume

The sock clips were incredibly otiose, not to mention that other similar gadgets not only exist for some reason, but have been pitched on these types of shows before. I didn't dislike those two people, though. The bouncy soccer guy was an arrogant douche.
With 90% of the products/businesses on this show, I don't see the innovation or promise. People, or should I say "consumers", are stupid. The Brazil Bread sounded tasty, but I sure wouldn't pay the fortune it likely costs to buy a bag. Fuggedaboutit.
I like how no one ever wants to take O'Leary's offers, even when said offers are more generous than those of others. No one likes an asshole.

PhantomStranger

I don't think Mr. Wonderful really wants to partner with most of these people, which is why most of his offers always lowball the company's value or have some exotic structure to scare off potential partners. He's on the show to stroke his ego as its main personality.

Damon offering that couple a deal after dropping out was pure charity on his part. We've seen time and time again companies receiving offers from the sharks based on something that has nothing to do with their business value at all. Usually it's the female sharks helping out young women or kids receiving deals based on their age.

Norm de Plume

That's true. I don't know why the producers keep him. I'm sure they could find an asshole with more charisma.

PhantomStranger

How many already wealthy people are willing to portray themselves as a villain on television? That is easier said than done in finding a personality like him.

Norm de Plume

That Shkreli scumbag might be a candidate, but who wants to give him money and exposure?

Goat3001

I could get behind the socks thing if I could get a set of 10 of them for $5 at the register at Bed Bath and Beyond. It's not exactly a novel idea and the problem they're trying to solve doesn't exist but I would still find them useful. This way the pair never separates so when I take the socks out of the laundry they're ready to be put away rather than having to search for it's partner. It's not life changing but it presents a small convenience.

The bubble soccer guy was a dickhead. I'm happy he didn't get a deal. The game seems fun but that guy seems to think it'll take off. It won't. I'm surprised no one brought up the possible injury concerns.