Dino Don bags $500,000 deal from Mark Cuban as 'Shark Tank' fans ask 'what would you do with a dinosaur'
Don Lessem and his wife Val Jones stepped into 'Shark Tank; with the hopes of raising money for their business Dino Don. In case you're wondering what Dino Don is then it's an animatronic dinosaurs company that produces extremely realistic-looking dinosaurs that move and roar!
The couple came in seeking $500,000 for a 10% stake in their unique business venture of selling and loaning life-sized dinosaur robots in museums and theme parks. The Sharks were instantly impressed by how real the dinosaurs looked and couldn't get enough of the attention to the details that the craftsmen paid while designing these giant robots.
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Despite being impressed by how amazing the dinosaurs looked, Lori Greiner, Daymond John, Kevin O'Leary, and Robert Herjavec backed out from closing a deal with the lovely couple because they felt that dinosaurs weren't exactly their area of expertise, and also had a hard time believing the incredibly high sales numbers and the projections that the duo was sharing with them.
Fans too seemed to agree with them about the utility of dinosaur robots. Many fans began wondering what anybody would do with a life-sized dinosaur robot. A fan tweeted, "What would you do with a #dinosaur? Deal or no deal? #SharkTank." Another fan wrote, "Oh what in sweet tea is this dinosaur thing. Are there just a lot of rich people in the world that spend money on things so freely and weirdly? #SharkTank." "#SharkTank why are they here?" wondered a fan.
What would you do with a #dinosaur? Deal or no deal? #SharkTank
— Patent Attorney (@EvansIPLaw) May 22, 2021
Oh what in sweet tea is this dinosaur thing.
— purplegaiter (@purplegaiter) May 22, 2021
Are there just a lot of rich people in the world that spend money on things so freely and weirdly? #SharkTank
However, Mark Cuban saw a huge potential in Dino Don and happily made an offer to invest the $500,000 they were asking for, but he wanted a 25% stake in the company as he felt that a lot of work would be involved to get the brand to take off. Don and Val were initially hesitant to part with such a huge percentage of their company's stake, but they were also aware of the value that Mark would add to the business, so they agreed to his offer and closed the deal.
Several other fans were pleased to see Dino Don close the deal with Mark, and expressed their excitement. A fan shared, "I think I'm such a dinosaur nerd that even if I lost money, I'd make a deal just because they are so cool. #SharkTank." Another fan commented, "I love that @mcuban just bought dinosaurs!! Bring them to a Mavs game, and I’ll pay extra for a ticket. #sharktank." "#SharkTank I love the dinosaurs! I also love the deal too and the projection that their shark partner would be @mcuban is sooo awesome!," expressed a fan.
I think I'm such a dinosaur nerd that even if I lost money, I'd make a deal just because they are so cool. #SharkTank
— Novafan23 (@Novafan23) May 22, 2021
I love that @mcuban just bought dinosaurs!! Bring them to a Mavs game, and I’ll pay extra for a ticket. #sharktank
— Joni from Marketing (@jonifrommktg) May 22, 2021
#SharkTank I love the dinosaurs! I also love the deal too and the projection that their shark partner would be @mcuban is sooo awesome!
— Maureen 'mo' Amos (@ldydemon) May 22, 2021
What did you think of the Dino Don deal on 'Shark Tank'? Let us know.
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