'Shark Tank' Season 11: Aira's wireless tech pitch and strategy has fans and judges cheering for their deal
It's all about wireless technology in this world and entrepreneurs Eric Goodchild and Jake Slatnick are "doing what Apple couldn't", according to shark Kevin O'Leary.
Using FreePower technology, Aira's wireless charging pads are one step ahead of the traditional wireless charging tech in the market today.
As Slatnick described during his pitch, users don't need to worry about a certain orientation when using devices powered by Aira — and they can charge multiple devices at a time.
Aira is based on the Qi Standard protocol which means it's compatible with all major mobile phones and tablets including iPhone, Samsung, Pixel, and Huawei devices. It can also charge a wide variety of other devices like air pods, remote controls, watches and more.
Goodchild and Slatnick entered the tank seeking a $500k investment for a 7% stake in the company. Aira has not started selling its products yet but wanted a shark (or more, as we see in the episode) to offer them guidance on how to get past the startup phase.
When the episode aired, Aira had secured a partnership with Nomad who will implement this technology in the Base Station Pro set to launch later this year.
Of this strategy, shark Daymon John tweeted, "I like where they're going with this. Licensing allows you to get your product out there without having to spend on production, advertisement, or marketing. With innovative technology like this, it can be the perfect play. #Aira #SharkTank".
The sharks and viewers were impressed with the duo's presentation which included a Tesla coil that was built by Goodchild in high school. While Mark Cuban and Daymond John backed out, Robert Herjavec offered a $500k investment for a 10% stake in the company.
Lori Greiner and Kevin O'Leary joined forces and offered $500k as a loan at a 9% interest for a 15% stake. Greiner and O'Leary later changed their offer to $500k investment for a 15% stake in the company.
After a small discussion, Slatnick countered their offer, seeking all three on board for a $500k investment in return for a 15% stake in the company, which the sharks readily agreed to.
Viewers were impressed with the duo's strategy, with one saying "Smart guys. Combined 2 deals into 1 and got 3 sharks congrats #aira #SharkTank [sic]". Another viewer noted, "These boys are playing chess. I'm impressed."
One viewer was disappointed with Herjavec's decision, saying, "good for the #aira kids getting three of the world's best investors to come down to their level. but robert, have some strength and keep your bid at what u wanted. ridiculous. #sharktank [sic]."
New episodes of 'Shark Tank' season 11 air at 9 pm ET only on ABC.
