LARQ Bottle on ‘Shark Tank’: What is the cost, who is the founder Justin Wang and how does it purify water?
The world is struggling to save every drop of water and many environment-conscious citizens can't help but do everything to get pure water. If you're one of those, the latest episode of ‘Shark Tank’ drops a huge surprise for you. On Season 12 Episode 21, an entrepreneur from Foster City, California, is thirsty for a good deal after presenting his high-tech, self-cleaning water bottle.
LARQ Bottle promises pure water beyond filtration, thanks to its award-winning design with effective UV-C LED technology for on-the-go water purification. Here's everything you need to know about the product — right from its cost to the founder Justin Wang and the company's sales. This product might be another one perfectly suited for the COVID-19 pandemic, wouldn't it?
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What is a LARQ Bottle?
Can science help you drink pure water? LARQ makes it possible with its proprietary and patented PureVis™ UV-C LED technology! 280 nanometer UV light
Is ideal to eradicate germs, triggering a photochemical reaction that destroys their DNA. UV-C light is widely used today in hospitals to sterilize patient room surfaces. When UV light is absorbed, it breaks the DNA's chemical bonds and kills the bacteria or virus.
The bottle helps combat most common complaints about reusable water bottles: odor and contamination, difficulty cleaning, and shortage of on-the-go access to pure drinking water.
Here are all the qualities of a LARQ Bottle:
Effective: Eradicates up to 99.9999% of bacteria and 99.99% of viruses in Adventure Mode
Chemical free: Non-toxic way to purify your water and bottle
Mercury & ozone free: World's only mercury-free portable water sanitization system
No replacement filters: One less thing to worry about so you can drink confidently
Who is the founder?
Justin Wang is the CEO and co-founder of the hydration brand LARQ. The bottle was launched with a simple vision, one where innovative technology could be combined with inspirational design to help people access pristine drinking water easily and sustainably.
This is not Wang's first stint. Before LARQ, Wang was the former President of FOREO — an award-winning beauty technology company — where he oversaw product marketing, strategy, product management, sales and marketing. Before that, he was an investor with L Capital (the investment arm of Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy), where he helped numerous entrepreneurs grow their consumer retail business through strategic investment and partnerships.
In an interview, Wang explained: “At the touch of a button, the bottle cap emits UV-C light, eradicating up to 99.9999% of harmful, odor-causing bacteria and viruses. The technology activates every two hours, basking the water and the inner surface in purifying UV light to keep your water and bottle free of germs.”
What is the cost?
Can't wait to buy a LARQ Bottle? The LARQ Bottle Movement PureVis™ is available in colors like White, Coral, Black, Onyx and Pine. It comes in two sizes: 24 oz and 32 oz. The bottle costs him about $40 to make and is priced at about $95. LARQ Bottle PureVis™ is available for $95.00 and LARQ Bottle Movement PureVis™ costs $78.00 on the official website. The LARQ Pitcher PureVis™ which promises pure water beyond filtration is available at a discounted price of $135.00 from its usual $148.00.
Many customers can't stop praising the bottle. “It’s perfect and the quality is great, I wanna buy another one,” one said and another posted, “I have 5 Larq bottles now and love them. Only one of them had a cap die out on me but the rest are still kicking! I recently got the new limited edition blue.”
“I love the LARQ bottle. It is perfect for travel. I love the convenience of the self-cleaning, and it has a much better smell and taste than other water bottles.” A fourth added, “I gave this bottle as a gift to someone who doesn’t go anywhere without a water bottle. She loves it! The coolest part is always knowing the bottle and water are clean.”
What are the sales of LARQ?
in 2017, LARQ first entered the market with a Kickstarter campaign that helped raise $1,374,021. A year later, in 2018, it got many customers and the brand's popularity helped boost its sales. One of the major attractions for the company was when Time Magazine snuck a sweet spot for them in their “The 10 Smartest Sustainable Products of 2018” list.
In an interview, Wang explained, “We are already available in the US, Canada, UK and France, but with this additional funding we plan to expand to the areas who have expressed the most demand for our products, including all of the EU in 2020 and further plans to expand to APAC later this year and into 2021.
LARQ plans to develop its product line into a 360-degree hydration brand, beginning with the new LARQ Pitcher. The LARQ Pitcher is a sustainable solution for hydration at home or in the office, providing pure water beyond simple filtration. What's more, it commits 1% of its proceeds to benefit various charities that strive to make clean drinking water more accessible and omit plastic pollution, through its partnership with 1% for the Planet.
Who will crack the deal?
It's difficult to predict who could steal the deal but our guess is Mark Cuban. What do you say? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
‘Shark Tank’ Season 12 Episode 9 returned to ABC after the winter break on January 8, 2021, at 8 pm ET. Catch the latest episode featuring products like Truffle Shuffle, Suds2Go, Salad Sling and Larq on April 16, 2021, from 8 pm ET to 9 pm ET.
Missed an episode? Been wanting to catch up? Episodes can also be viewed the next day on demand and on Hulu. Not just that, you can also watch old seasons and episodes on Amazon Prime Video and iTunes.