'Shark Tank' Season 15: Fans slam 'annoying' Mella founders as they bag $250K deal with Mark Cuban
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Mella wants to make the healthcare experience more enjoyable for both dogs and their loving owners.
Even though the founders secured a deal on 'Shark Tank', viewers at home were unimpressed with the pitch, which included rapping from one of the founders.
The pet healthcare sector has expanded significantly in recent years, with a greater emphasis on delivering sophisticated and tailored care for our furry pets.
Pet owners are more invested than ever in their pets' well-being, which has led to the development of novel veterinary treatments and technology.
Temperature measurement is a typical element of pet health monitoring, and it is often the first step in determining a pet's status. Mella Pet Care was featured in the 17th episode of the 15th season of 'Shark Tank.'
As one of the co-founders, Ben Seidman decided to throw in a freestyle rap in his pitch, viewers took to social media to react to one of the most interesting pitches they have ever heard. "Why did these people think "rapping" would be a good idea?" one user asked on Reddit.
One viewer wrote, "I don't like the woman in the middle..." While another added, "She seems insulted at having to answer questions from the people she wants money from."
A fourth user wondered, "How is this getting an offer, these people are combative and annoying and maybe crazy." "I can’t deal with the rapping," wrote another.
One user complained, "“Machine learning”. A less effective thermometer solving imaginary trauma. Their expert was a junior vet tech? Sending temperature readings to your vet? Crazy valuation? Shutting down investors to do a crappy rap? Worst throuple presenters in a while."
Another user commented, "That’s gonna be on White people twitter."
Mella Pet Care's sales fumble 'Shark Tank' investors
Mella has sold more than 2500 gadgets. They were making around $160K in sales at the time of shooting 'Shark Tank' after soft-launching their product with almost no marketing investment.
They've been in almost 1000 vet clinics in just over a year. The Mella Pro is built for $40 and sells for $159. Even with a $4 customer acquisition, Kevin O'Leary struggled to understand why their sales were so low.
Mella ropes in Mark Cuban for a future collaboration with Cost Plus Drugs
Mark Cuban offered them $250,000 for 6%. Daniel Lubetzky had a sharkier offer in mind, so he dropped out of the running.
Mella countered Mark's offer of $350,000 for the same 6%. When Mark declined to amend his first offer, Ben inquired whether he would be bringing Cost Plus Drugs to assist with Mella.
The three entrepreneurs reached an agreement after Mark stated that he would go to any length to assist Mella in developing their technology.
Where is Cost Plus Drug now?
Mark's direct-to-consumer venture, Cost Plus Drug, continues to upset generic pharmaceutical prices, nearly tripling the number of pharmaceuticals available in December. Two years later, Mark's startup continues to shake up the generic pharmaceutical industry.
In December, it added another 1,000 medications to its current list of 2,200 pharmaceuticals sold directly to patients. More than 2 million members already have access to prescription medications, most of which are generic.
Drugs are offered at a fully stated price with a 15% markup, a $5 pharmacy service fee, and a $5 delivery cost. The firm fills prescriptions with qualified pharmacists and sells them to around 4,000 retail pharmacies.
These pharmacies might buy straight from the firm or from another supplier for a different price. However, the patient's out-of-pocket expenses are always calculated using the CPD method.
'Shark Tank' Season 15 airs on Fridays on ABC at 8 pm ET.
For those who missed the episode, it will be available on demand the following day and on Hulu. Additionally, viewers can explore past seasons and episodes on Amazon Prime Video and iTunes.
