Pop CultureBy Ty Schalter on

The Shiver: Tonight’s group of sharks: Dallas Mavericks owner and tech-sector maverick Mark Cuban in his usual stage-right chair, real-estate impresariess Barbara Corcoran, venture capital mogul Kevin ‘Mister Wonderful’ O’Leary, QVC Queen Lori Greiner and at the end of the line, “guest Shark” Silicon Valley venture capitalist Chris Sacca.

The Bait: A better baby cover-up, a lemonade stand for the gig economy, a Korean BBQ chain and a lockbox that would make Al Gore giddy.

Company: Melanie Disbrow, “Milk Snob”

Seeking: $125,000 for a 5 percent stake

Disbrow walks the Sharks through a common struggle of new parents: trying to cover car seats and strollers to protect little ones from sun and weather, when babies, toddlers, or that very weather constantly rips off blankets and other covers.

Enter Milk Snob, a sort of overgrown tube top that functions as a cover for a stroller, a breast-feeding cover-up and a newborn wrap. The fabric is stretchy, so it’s strong, but breathable, for obvious reasons:

In just 18 months, Disbrow has hauled in $1.2 million, with $600,000 of that in the last six months. The price $36 online, with just a $7.60 manufacturing cost. All of her marketing is through social media and mom-to-mom buzz, and so far it’s been a great success. Sacca’s blown away: He immediately offers $125,000 for 8 percent. “You know what?” Cuban goes full chivalry on this one. “I’m going to go out because that’s a great offer.”

Lori offers $125,000 for 10 percent, which is obviously a worse deal, on paper but hey—QVC! That’s perfect for a product like this.

Mister Wonderful offers $150,000 for 10 percent, too, but it’s hard to see his offer competing with the other two on the table.

Disbrow asks Lori if she’ll go down to 8 percent, but if Lori’s going to flog this thing on QVC she wants a bigger stake. Instead, Lori raises the cash match Mister Wonderful. Sacca still wants in, though, and Disbrow has some choices to make. Time for our first DRAMATIC COMMERCIAL BREAK!

When we come back, Disbrow’s hesitant. She wants Lori and Chris to partner on the deal, but she doesn’t want to give up more than 10 percent equity—which is not enough for two Sharks to sink their teeth into. Sacca goes out. Kevin’s also out, because she hasn’t shown the slightest interest in dealing with him.

Suddenly, Lori’s the last Shark left. Disbrow hesitantly turns to her.

“Lori, you actually were my pick….”

Swim or chum? “…so I’d love to accept your offer.” SWIM.

Should you buy? It’s been a few years since I’ve been in the baby-wearing business, but I’m not sure this would make a great wrap. If you’re baby-wearing, a lot of strollering isn’t necessary. And I don’t believe a mama needs a muu-muu thrown over her when she’s feeding. There are better dedicated baby-wearers out there, and it’s not $36.99 better than a blanket. SHOULD NOT BUY.

Company: Jack & Steve Bonneau, “Jack’s Stands & Marketplaces.”

Seeking: $50,000 for a 10 percent stake

A kid pitcher! And not just any kid pitcher: A nine-year-old kid (at the time of filming; now he’s 10) whose business is helping other kids start businesses. Jack had really wanted a $400 LEGO Death Star set, so he opened up a lemonade stand and hustled. $900 later, he had an idea that would help every kid near him start a business:

Now, Jack’s Stands and Marketplaces offer space and time for kids to come and hawk their wares at mall kiosks. The kids keep a 15 percent cut of whatever they’re selling, and Jack and his dad (“I work for Jack!” he insists) get rich. Well, that’s the plan. So far they have seven locations in Colorado, two in malls, and earnings haven’t been great. Despite this, Jack—who knows all the numbers, his dad is barely speaking—says he’s projecting $150,000 in sales over the next year, and $1,000,000 the year after that:

https://twitter.com/sacca/status/797262716993835009

Mister Wonderful loves Jack’s hustle, but struggles with kids because he doesn’t want a part-time partner. He’s out. Sacca asks how he got funded, and turns out he got a starter loan of $1,000 from his parents, earned enough to pay them back, got a $5,000 loan from a bank, and has almost paid them off. Now this little Denver Broncos fan is rocking it out on Shark Tank:

“Jack,” pronounces Cuban, “you’re incredible.” But not incredible enough: He doesn’t see them growing beyond the Denver area. He’s out. Barbara and Lori say the same thing: You’re super awesome, but not investible. “There’s no way I’m going to let the best pitch of the year get out the door without an offer,” Sacca says. He offers a $50,000 loan at two percent interest, disbursed in $10,000 chunks as Jack needs it. Sacca also wants a contingency that Jack do a YouTube show or podcast that grows an audience online. “If you take that deal,” Mister Wonderful says, “you’ll be the most in-debt nine-year-old in the world.”

Swim or chum? He immediately takes it. O’Leary cracks up: “He’s nine years old and $60,000 in debt!” SWIM.

Should you buy? Well, here’s the problem with the business: The only way you can buy what he’s selling is if you’re a kid with a business in Denver. If you are, and you need a space to hawk your wares, you SHOULD BUY.

Company: Jae Kim, “Chi’lantro”

Seeking: $600,000 for a 50 percent stake

Kim emigrated from South Korea with his single mom when he was 11 years old. He’s applied for Shark Tank three times: Once with one food truck, once with five food trucks and now with a fleet of trucks and a fast-casual restaurant. The third time’s the charm, and here he is with a sampling of the food:

His fast-casual thing is very Chipotle: Build a bowl with starch (white rice, brown rice or noodles), protein, veggies, special sauces and “the original kimchee fries.” The Sharks love it:

Kim describes his first business, a coffee shop, as a failure. He didn’t have a vision and couldn’t grow it. But when asked how he founded Chi’antro, he references his $30,000 in savings.

Cuban jumps in to applaud him: “You started your business, you paid for college, and you saved $30,000.”

Earnings last year were $4.7 million. Each food truck’s pulling around $300,000, and $1-1.5 million for each restaurant. He hopes to do expand to 15 restaurants.

“You’ve actually lived the American Dream in every way,” Mister Wonderful says, and he’s right.

Sacca loves the food, but he doesn’t really see the opportunity here: He can’t be the guy that helps Kim go from a vision to reality, and now the vision—which isn’t a game-changing revolution in food—is pretty much just growing what’s already there. He’s out. Cuban says restaurants are not his thing; investing in one is a huge time sink if you want to be involved at all. He’s out. Lori loves the food, but she’s out too.

Barbara, though, is in. And she’s done this once before with Tom + Chee in Season 4. That business had a lot of growth and success, but also hit some bumps in the road (the one near me opened, struggled with quality consistency, and closed).

“I know the structural problems they had in growing their business,” Barbara says, and knows exactly how to grow Chi’lantro without putting a foot wrong. She offers the $600,000 for a whopping 30 percent stake. She warns not to treat her like dumb capital: Her expertise is valuable.

He counters: His business is robust and profitable. Even if she wants out, he can buy her back out quickly. Would she take 20 percent instead?

Swim or chum? “You got yourself a deal,” she says, and he does! SWIM.

Should you buy? The food looks phenomenal and Korean BBQ is great. If there’s a location near you, you SHOULD BUY.

Company: Junior Desinor, “TOOR”

Seeking: $500,000 for a 10 percent stake

When you’re house-hunting and see a great house for sale, your options are limited. You can call a number and leave a voicemail, or hope one of those little flyers is left. But if you want to tour the house, you could be waiting weeks for an agent or open house. Desinor says all that’s about to change with “the world’s smartest lockbox.”

He invites Barbara to come try and get the keys: Just press the button and it sends a request to the house owner, who can approve it and open the lockbox, releasing the keys. Barbara can let herself in, tour the house and put the keys back when she’s done.

She shakes Desinor’s hand.

“Nice handshake,” she says, clearly impressed with the cut of his jib. “Nice suit.”

Mister Wonderful immediately asks the question we’re all thinking: What happens if they just take the keys? Or hang out way too long?

“The beauty of our product is that you decide what kind of showing you want to have,” Desinor says. There’s a notification sent if the keys are out of the box too long, and you can also set the app to require an agent come over. That settled, the Sharks want to know what sales look like.

Zero. They’re brand new.

But TOOR had a really successful Kickstarter, and the demand is clearly there. The Sharks want to know how he got this idea; it grew out of his practice as a real-estate agent.

His parents are from Haiti, he says, and worked hard to send him to a fancy Dallas-area private school. Going to friends’ neighborhoods and seeing big, fancy houses (including Cuban’s) inspired him to start. Sacca, a Silicon Valley VC, knows him some big, fancy houses, though, and he sees a problem: There are already “smart” lockboxes that use Bluetooth to open in the presence of an agent; the only innovation TOOR’s really offering is the remote interface.

When Desinor says the old-school real estate companies are way behind the times, and his TOOR has a utility patent pending, Sacca gets testy. He’s seen agents unlock homes with a smartphone while touring!

“He’s entirely right,” Barbara says. “This clearly answers a need, and you’re not going to see anything like it out of the old guys in the industry.” Additionally, she notes, “You’re one of the best salespeople I’ve seen in my life.” Considering she’s worked in real estate much of her career, that’s saying something.

“I like when people make better mousetraps,” Lori says, but it’s too early for her. She’s out.

“You blew it,” Mister Wonderful says, by asking for half a million dollars on a five-million dollar valuation when his product is still a prototype. Kevin offers $100,000 for 10 percent equity, then a $400,000 loan at 18 percent interest. Kevin demands a quick answer and Desinor ponders as we go to our second DRAMATIC COMMERCIAL BREAK.

“I’ll save you some time,” Cuban says. He’s not into real estate, and he can’t help. He’s out. Barbara wants to jump in here, joining Kevin’s deal

“I don’t want a better mousetrap. I want a bear trap, making tens of millions.” Sacca’s convinced that this thing is only a couple of years ahead of the everybody else, because people are already moving to tech-activated locks. House keys are doomed!

Desinor counters: $250,000 for 10 percent in equity, and $250,000 line of credit. Barbara and Kevin confer, then counter at $200k cash/$300k credit—with the contingency that he’s willing to ramp up big-time and get into major retailers. Are we there for our FOURTH deal of the night?

Swim or chum? We are! SWIM.

Should you buy? Honestly, I’m not even sure who’s buying these. Agents? Sellers? Even if I’m selling my house, I’m not cool with unsupervised visits. Oh, and there’s something about a $100-a-month subscription model? I’m not into it. SHOULD NOT BUY.

About Ty Schalter

Ty Schalter is thrilled to be part of The Comeback. A member of the Pro Football Writers of America, Ty also works as an NFL columnist for Bleacher Report and VICE Sports, and regular host for Sirius XM’s Bleacher Report Radio. In another life, he was an IT cubicle drone with a pretentious Detroit Lions blog.

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