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Dad pitches his 9-year-old daughter’s screen repair idea in emotional ‘Shark Tank’ moment, wins over judges

A family of three introduced the Sharks to ScreenMend, winning the hearts of more than one Shark.

As the saying goes, “Necessity is the mother of invention," and that’s exactly what inspired ScreenMend. A family of three pitched ScreenMend on ‘Shark Tank.' The father and his two daughters had a simple window and door screen repair kit that aimed at making it easy to repair those inevitable small holes that can be seen in your house. Brian Hooks and his daughters, Lily and Emma, came up with the idea while cleaning their screened porch.

Making an appearance on Season 5, the trio explained to the globally appreciated Sharks how their product works. It was a screen patch that had to be applied to a hole. ScreenMend then seals it with heated wax, according to Shark Tank Blog. They claimed their original prototype patch had stayed in place for over four years. According to the outlet, it was when 9-year-old Lily came up with the idea of applying heated wax, while also attempting to seal the hole. 

The family also explained that Lily had heard her dad complaining about how an adhesive patch wasn’t sticking to the wall. She was scraping candle wax off the table, when she asked her father, “Why don’t you try using wax?” The rest then became history. While explaining the story, Lily demonstrated how easy it was to apply the patch using a hair dryer. Coming to the numbers, they explained that till the time of their taping, they had sold 750 units, also explaining that they were manufacturing the product in their garage. Talking about the competition, they added that although some companies were selling a similar product, none of them were using wax as an adhesive. The trio then also stated that a provisional patent was available, but not a utility patent. 

Coming to the Sharks, they liked the margins. The product retails for $6.99 and costs just $0.84 to make. They had come to the reality TV show with an aim to gain money for better packaging. This, in turn, would help them to enter the retail market. Daymond John was the first to speak. The shark stated he doesn’t have time to give the entrepreneurs pulling out of making any deal. Soon, Kevin O’Leary stated that he thinks the business is too small, making the same move as John. Within no time, even Robert Herjavec joined them.

However, Mark Cuban told the contestants that he wanted the kids to get a business education, and stood up for the two little girls, the same way his father had when Cuban was just getting started. He offered the contestants the exact offer they had asked for. Soon, Lori Greiner entered the game. Impressed by the product, she went on to offer Cuban a team-up and have the product in the retail sector as well as on TV. She also offered $30,000 for 50%. Getting a better deal than they expected, the Hooks discussed their matter in the hall. Entering the room again, the contestant went ahead with what Greiner had in mind. To everyone’s intrigue, Lily was seen cartwheeling out of the room.