Once slammed for the ‘worst pitch ever,’ bodyboard entrepreneur scores ultimate redemption on ‘Shark Tank’
For years, 'Shark Tank' has been known to give entrepreneurs a platform to fulfill their dreams. With seasoned investors like Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran, Kevin O'Leary, Lori Greiner, and Daniel Lubetzky, 'Shark Tank' has solidified its place among the best reality TV shows. However, even with the sharpest minds in the room, there is always a scope of mistakes. And the Kymera Body Board founder, James Woods, is the best example of this statement.
As reported by USA Today, Woods appeared with partner Adam Majewski in season 10 and sought $250,000 for 5% equity in their company. However, before the sharks could say anything, Woods reminded them of his previous appearance on the show. "As you may remember, my last lap around the tank didn’t go so well,” he said. The Californian entrepreneur previously appeared in Season 5, was brutally fired by the sharks, with Cuban commenting, "You’re not an entrepreneur, you’re a want-to-preneur." He added, “In 10 years, you couldn’t figure out how to go get a product and sell it. Find someone else to run the business, but it’s not going to be me.”
The pitch involved a prototype of an electrically-powered body board, lightweight and apt for surfers, calling it the “most versatile watercraft ever built.” However, judges were far from being impressed. Shark Daymond John even called Woods’ pitch the worst he'd ever seen. Greiner pointed out that there has been “no sale” of the product as of then, and opted out. Even though things didn’t turn out well for Woods that night, he was determined. Per the outlet, Woods and Majewski worked on improving Kymer, finally making it a dream company that has reportedly made $350,000 in sales year to date, along with a projection of $2 million in annual sales.
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The outlet also noted what made Majewski believe in Woods. “I saw the product and said, ‘I want it. I know other people want it. And I can see a market for this product and I felt the sharks possibly got it wrong.” After listening to the epic comeback, John told Woods during his season 10 appearance, "So we beat you down. You said we helped you. You come back and ask for $250,000 for 5%. This is how you thank me? Thank God you like me, right? Imagine if you were mad at me."
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However, O'Leary made them an offer- $250,000 for the 5%. While Grenier and Cuban passed, Woods received another offer from John, proposing a deal of $250,000 for 10%. Robert Herjavec also jumped in with an even better deal of $500,000 for a 10% stake in the company, prompting an immediate "Yes" from Woods. “I love the second chances,” Herjavec said. “I mean, that’s one of the things that makes this country great. Everybody deserves a second chance.” According to the Shark Tank Recap, the company is now seeing significant growth with over $6 million in total sales, including $1 million in 2023, and has expanded its reach to 29 international distributors and over 23 dealerships. The boards are also available through Kymera’s official website.
