S13.E04: THEMAGIC5 Goggles; Tabby Dating App; SoaPen; 54 Thrones African Skincare

[JTMacc99]

Quote

Nirav Tolia, founder of the successful neighborhood networking service, Nextdoor, brings his desire to inspire and mentor the country's sharpest entrepreneurs in this week's new episode. First into the tank are entrepreneurs from Brooklyn, New York, and Charlotte, North Carolina, whose experience as triathletes led to the creation of their custom reinvention for a solution to a problem for swimmers. A trio of entrepreneurs from New Orleans, Louisiana, introduce their dating tool which helps cat lovers find their purrfect match. Entrepreneurs from New York City pitch their clean product designed to encourage children to wash their hands; while an entrepreneur from Houston, Texas, hopes her beauty line inspired by her African heritage makes the cut.

 

[CrazyInAlabama]

1. Themagic5-custom swim goggles.   They make a deal with Robert.   It amazes me that there's such a huge market for custom goggles. 

2. Cat Lover's Dating App-Tabby-They made a deal with Kevin (or as Mr. Wonderful calls himself, "The Pick of the Litter").    I think it's a great idea, so cat lovers can find each other.  

3. Children's Hand Washing-Soapen-a product to help kids want to wash hands properly, and long enough.   The soapen pen can draw on their hands, and make washing fun, and it takes almost a minute of washing to get the soap drawing off of their hands.   No deal.  But here's the shocker, Nirav goes after them, and proposes that his wife who is a big wig at Mrs. Meyers, etc. with a limited royalty, the couple want to make a deal with the sellers, and they do.   

4. Shea Butter based beauty from Africa-54 Thrones seller's family ships her big containers of Shea Butter to her.    (A little of the products goes a long way, poor Robert used way too much), and the product was on Oprah's Favorite Things list.  They're on track to sell a million this year, and are launching in Sephora.   The seller has a skin care, and a makeup line.  Nirav is pitching for a two Shark deal.  Kevin wants in on the deal.   Kevin takes 10%, Nirav takes 7 1/2%, and they make the deal.   (I don't know if all Shea Butter has the same scent, but I bought the Body Shop version a couple of times, and really don't like the scent of it.   I wonder if this product has a different aroma?) 

I really liked the guest Shark, Nirav Tolia, and after the Soapen deal I really like him. 

Edited October 30, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[Vermicious Knid]

My first thought with the swim goggles company is what else can their scanning software be used to custom make? And they have their own robot factory. Those may be more lucrative than the goggles themselves.

There are a million skin care companies using shea butter.

[LittleIggy]

Yeah, Shea butter isn’t anything novel.

I liked the guest Shark, too. When he said he had been doing something for twenty years, I thought “You started when you were 10!”

[UsernameFatigue]

I am so tired of Mark making an offer, and then telling the pitcher(s) that they have to take his offer right away and not listen to any others. So glad he was not able to bully them, and that Mark isn't the one who got the deal. 

I guess the Shea Butter lady was unique in her connection to where she sources her product, but ya, it has been around for eons. I use it when my hands get really dry, but don't use it daily. Robert slathering his hands in it was pretty funny.

I loved the cat lover dating app, as I am a huge animal lover, cats in particular. I always think I am so lucky that my hubby is as big of a cat lover as I am, and just as important to me is proud to admit it. If I were looking for a partner I would definitely look into the app. 

My thought with the soap pen was that kids would write all over themselves, but not wash it off. : )   Or at least not until made to by a parent, which could take awhile if they have written all over their body. I did like what the guest shark did though, that was sweet. Shark Tank is hitting it out of the park so far this season with guest sharks. Such an improvement over many of the guests from previous years. 

[mjc570]

One of the best episodes in quite a while - no sob stories, crying, children used as props.  No guest shark indulging in shameless shelf-promotion and greed. Instead, interesting products and services, a certain amount of humor and Mark's bullying getting the response it deserves.  I have to think there was major editing going on.  

I really liked the guest shark (I am a HUGE Nextoddor user, it has made my life so much easier).  And, with his wife, a twofer.  

I'm not their target (being an older, non dating dog person) but loved all 3 of the cat people.  Smart, practical and the cats were adoptable! I'm glad they got a deal.

The Soapen seemed pretty limited, unlike the custom goggles, which they stated was actually a robotics company for which I can see all kinds of applications.

 

[seacliffsal]

Although other posters have already stated this, I just want to confirm how much I liked the guest shark.  He really knew a lot about tech, sales, etc., and seemed so kind as well.  I'd be happy to see him again.  And, also like others, I'm glad that Mark lost out even though he was doing his "I don't want you to talk to other sharks..."  I really wish that Mark and Lori would take a few weeks off like the other Sharks do.

[eel21788]

8 hours ago, UsernameFatigue said:

My thought with the soap pen was that kids would write all over themselves, but not wash it off. : )   Or at least not until made to by a parent, which could take awhile if they have written all over their body. 

I can see the parents and the children both getting tired of the novelty of it by the time they got through their three vials of it. I would have liked to know if they had any repeat customers, although I don't think they've sold enough yet to know if someone would buy it twice.

Also, about the claim that 1 in 3 children's lives could be saved by using their product: I don't think the children who are dying of infections from lack of soap are the ones who can afford $15 (plus shipping) to buy their product. I kept waiting for them to say they were sending charitable vials of it to remote African regions in some sort of matching deal.

[hifihifi]

Nothing personal and I admit I know nothing of Social Media other than Facebook and Twitter but I never heard of Next Door till this Shark Tanl Episode

[hifihifi]

Not impressed by the soap product at all. First off when I was a kid I had no problem washing my hands and with Covid no kid with an IQ over 2020 isn;t going to wash with soap. Furthermore, if I was a kid maybe I'd write on my hands once or twice with it but no more. I really don;t think that if they weren;t the same nationality as Mr. Tolia he never would have offered them a deal.

[mjc570]

8 hours ago, hifihifi said:

Not impressed by the soap product at all. First off when I was a kid I had no problem washing my hands and with Covid no kid with an IQ over 2020 isn;t going to wash with soap. Furthermore, if I was a kid maybe I'd write on my hands once or twice with it but no more. I really don;t think that if they weren;t the same nationality as Mr. Tolia he never would have offered them a deal.

I assumed it was a present for his wife - the national exposure, two bright young women to mentor.  Cause the product is very limited, and it didn't seem like they had anything else in the pipeline.

[Koalagirl]

21 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Yeah, Shea butter isn’t anything novel.

I liked the guest Shark, too. When he said he had been doing something for twenty years, I thought “You started when you were 10!”

I had to look up his age after the show. I was floored - he’s 48 years old and has 3 young children.  I’d love to know his skin regimen!  (Neutrogena, perhaps, because of his wife’s connection?)

[Kenz]

The last woman with the shea butter line was so beautiful and presented her product so well that I think her image could sell just about anything!

[DEL901]

13 hours ago, eel21788 said:

I can see the parents and the children both getting tired of the novelty of it by the time they got through their three vials of it. I would have liked to know if they had any repeat customers, although I don't think they've sold enough yet to know if someone would buy it twice.

Also, about the claim that 1 in 3 children's lives could be saved by using their product: I don't think the children who are dying of infections from lack of soap are the ones who can afford $15 (plus shipping) to buy their product. I kept waiting for them to say they were sending charitable vials of it to remote African regions in some sort of matching deal.

And those kids who are dying of infections….for many, it is because of dirty water….so if they wash this off in contaminated water…does this negate the benefit?

15 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

Although other posters have already stated this, I just want to confirm how much I liked the guest shark.  He really knew a lot about tech, sales, etc., and seemed so kind as well.  I'd be happy to see him again.  And, also like others, I'm glad that Mark lost out even though he was doing his "I don't want you to talk to other sharks..."  I really wish that Mark and Lori would take a few weeks off like the other Sharks do.

How ironic that it is the Kind CEO who was the jerk. 

[LittleIggy]

3 hours ago, Koalagirl said:

I had to look up his age after the show. I was floored - he’s 48 years old and has 3 young children.  I’d love to know his skin regimen!  (Neutrogena, perhaps, because of his wife’s connection?)

48! 😮 He must have a picture like Dorian Grey! 😏

[Msample]

This is the first season I have watched live - is it typical to start off a season with three different guest Sharks in a row ? 

Also seems unusual to see everyone get a deal in an episode. 

 

[Quickbeam]

I happen to be a beta tester for a Major Online Retailer. In the last 15 years I’ve probably tested a couple hundred skin care products with shea butter. As a dry skin person, it’s in just about everything I use. Certainly no revelation. The pitch lady was lovely though. 

[Madding crowd]

Soap crayons have been around for years; they were originally marketed to play with in the bathtub. I am always surprised the sharks aren’t aware that many of these products aren’t really new. I thought the goggles and cat dating products were good. The shea butter lady will get sales based on Oprah’s favorite things but it won’t last, there are too many Shea products already. 

[eel21788]

4 hours ago, Msample said:

This is the first season I have watched live - is it typical to start off a season with three different guest Sharks in a row ? 

I think the theme this season is to have a guest snark in each episode. I'm hoping to be proven wrong.

[Tango64]

18 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

Soap crayons have been around for years; they were originally marketed to play with in the bathtub. I am always surprised the sharks aren’t aware that many of these products aren’t really new. 

I thought the same thing. Not a new idea at all. But the Sharks fall for that all the time. Even if they ask "Is there anything else like this on the market?", the response is always "There's nothing exactly like this out there." Not exactly maybe, so technically they're not lying, but there often is essentially the same thing already on the market.

It's surprising when the Sharks don't see that, because they're not stupid people. But I suppose those are some of the deals that fall apart after the show when the lawyers and analysts get involved for due diligence.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I think that's why so many deals fall apart when the Sharks are doing their due diligence research about the real financial picture, and the real market for the product.    

[dogdays2]

I just received a gift of a shea butter product from Occitaine that mentions how this product from Burkina Faso supports women there.  No question that additional products that help additional people would be beneficial, but the concept certainly isn't new.

[aemom]

On 10/30/2021 at 2:17 PM, UsernameFatigue said:

I am so tired of Mark making an offer, and then telling the pitcher(s) that they have to take his offer right away and not listen to any others. So glad he was not able to bully them, and that Mark isn't the one who got the deal.

It annoys me so much when that happens - my son won't even watch anymore because of it. Meanwhile, Dragon's Den in Canada is the opposite. The dragons present their offers and the pitcher decides. One recent pitcher quickly accepted a deal that was better than what they were asking for, and one of the dragons was upset that she didn't get a chance to even make an offer.

On 10/31/2021 at 11:57 AM, Kenz said:

The last woman with the shea butter line was so beautiful and presented her product so well that I think her image could sell just about anything!

She was very beautiful but that dress she was wearing was an odd choice for a business pitch.

On 10/29/2021 at 9:00 PM, CrazyInAlabama said:

 (I don't know if all Shea Butter has the same scent, but I bought the Body Shop version a couple of times, and really don't like the scent of it.   I wonder if this product has a different aroma?) 

I really liked the guest Shark, Nirav Tolia, and after the Soapen deal I really like him. 

I also don't like the scent of Shea butter, so not tempting to me.

I liked the guest shark as well.

On 10/31/2021 at 5:52 PM, Madding crowd said:

Soap crayons have been around for years; they were originally marketed to play with in the bathtub.

Thank you! I was saying to myself: I'm quite sure that I bought washable bathtub crayons for my sons when they were little.

[bilgistic]

19 hours ago, aemom said:

She was very beautiful but that dress she was wearing was an odd choice for a business pitch.

Her dress style is popular with Black women, so I wonder why it's an "odd choice". She looked stunning in it. People go on the show wearing t-shirts and shorts, and no one says a word.

Edited November 5, 2021 by bilgistic

[Kiss my mutt]

With COVID, all old things are new again and cost more like the crayon soap.  Crayola had these when I was a kid a million years ago though they didn’t work very well.

I’ve bought fair trade, naturally sourced Shea butter for years, so I wasn’t too excited for this. 
I thought it was interesting that the goggle dudes went there hoping to work with Robert because he’s usually everyone’s last pick. 
I had to laugh at the Tabby app guy who said he likes pussy…cats. They have a dating app for people who like mullets, so why not?
I

[aemom]

3 hours ago, bilgistic said:

Her dress style is popular with Black women, so I wonder why it's an "odd choice". She looked stunning in it. People go on the show wearing t-shirts and shorts, and no one says a word.

Honestly, unless you are presenting some sort of fitness pitch, you shouldn't be wearing shorts and a t-shirt. I personally think that a business proposal merits a business-like appearance, but maybe I'm old fashioned. I do question the attire of the pitchers a lot of the time.

She did look very nice, but she looked dressed to go out to a party, not for business. YMMV.

[UsernameFatigue]

On 11/4/2021 at 8:42 PM, aemom said:

It annoys me so much when that happens - my son won't even watch anymore because of it. Meanwhile, Dragon's Den in Canada is the opposite. The dragons present their offers and the pitcher decides. One recent pitcher quickly accepted a deal that was better than what they were asking for, and one of the dragons was upset that she didn't get a chance to even make an offer.

 

Yes, the Dragons are for the most part a polite bunch. I have just watched the next episode, and loved it when Mr Wonderful told the pitcher that yes, the pitcher should listen to other offers before making a decision. Kevin cut his teeth right on Dragon's Den. 

[lh25]

I thought of the soap crayons as well, they have been around for a long time.  I wonder if the difference is the Soapen can write on skin?  I never had the crayon version so I don't know if they did.

[Sarahsmile416]

I must be the only one who found the guest shark obnoxious…

Then I read this and as Kevin would say, he was dead to me…

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.forbes.com/sites/ellenhuet/2014/05/14/nextdoor-ceo-nirav-tolia-charged-with-felony-hit-and-run/amp/