‘Shark Tank’ contestants bring unique party gadget — and leave with a $180K deal (plus five happy Sharks)
Over the years, the 'Shark Tank' investors have witnessed all kinds of pitches, from joyful ones to messy ones. However, some entrepreneurs don't feel the need to make grand gestures to impress the Sharks, as their product speaks for itself. During an episode of 'Shark Tank' Season 12, Stanson Strong and Brad Hall pitched their champagne water gun, Bubbly Blaster, in front of the esteemed Sharks Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, Barbara Corcoran, Kevin O'Leary, and Alex Rodriguez. In the episode, Strong and Hall were seeking $120,000 in exchange for 20% of their company. These two budding entrepreneurs impressed all the Sharks with their joyful pitch.
During their pitch, Strong said, "All right, Sharks, everybody loves to have a good time, and the international symbol for celebration is spraying champagne." Soon after, Hall interrupted Strong mid-sentence and quipped, "Whoa, whoa, hold up, big guy, unless you just won an NBA championship or World Series. No one wants to waste the bubbly all in one go. I have to clean up a huge mess after it's all over. That's why I'm going to come up with the Bubbly Blaster, the only way to celebrate with champagne. It's more fun, less mess, and it's guaranteed to keep the party going longer."
Then, Strong chimed in, "Alright, Sharks, time for some fun. Fast forward two moments from now, when we've made record-breaking deals with all five of you—jackpot, time to celebrate. We designed the Bubbly Blaster to easily fit into any champagne bottle. Turning it into a long-lasting champagne cannon to keep the celebration going, the bubbly fresh, and the mist to a minimum. There you go, our patented system snaps into place and is ready for action immediately; no need for shaking. The throttling trigger is precise for up-close action like that or for up to 30 feet away. So you can keep the party going, even while social distancing. That's right."
Shortly afterward, the co-founders of Bubbly Blaster stated that the manufacturing cost of one blaster was $18, and they sold it for $100. When asked about the sales, the duo mentioned that their company made $560,000 in sales in just over a year. According to Market Realist, O'Leary told the duo, "I got to tell you guys something: you came in here with $120,000 for 20%, which puts a $600,000 valuation. That's not crazy, and you might get a deal!"
Following that, Cuban made an offer of $120,000 for 25% equity and told the entrepreneurs, "You just have to tell me, and if not, I'll go out." Then, Hall stated that he would love for Cuban and Rodriguez to team up for a joint deal. Then, Cuban and Rodriguez made an offer of $120,000 for a 30% equity. Following that, Strong asked the duo, "Could you do $180,000 for 30 percent?" to which the two Sharks responded, "Yeah, we can do that. Done."
Once the episode dropped, many fans of the ABC business program stopped by the comments and raved over Strong and Hall's pitch. One social media user penned, "So satisfying to watch a pitch that is all positive vibes for once, no drama at all." Followed by a second user who wrote, "That was by far the best play-through I’ve seen on Shark Tank; everyone loved the product, the value, and the ask wasn’t crazy high, and the deal was made nice and easy." Another fan remarked, "They did this whole thing so correctly: solid evaluation, genuine passion behind the product, no ego."
