S14.E16: Pluie; Flated; Woof; SweetKiwi

[JTMacc99]

Quote

First into the Tank are moms from Chicago, Illinois, with a solution to the dreaded problem of changing diapers in dirty public restrooms. Entrepreneurs from Gypsum, Colorado, Missoula, Montana, and San Marcos, California, present their automobile accessory designed to make road-trip traveling more convenient; while an entrepreneur from New York City hopes the Sharks throw him a bone after he pitches his smart service designed to bring pet parents peace of mind. Last into the Tank are entrepreneurs from Silver Spring, Maryland, who introduce their nutrient-dense sweet indulgence without the guilt.

 

Quote

In a "Shark Tank" update, the Clark family from San Clemente, California, update us on TANDM Surf, whose business is thriving in sales after securing a deal with Sharks Robert Herjavec and Daniel Lubetzky.

The Sharks in this episode are Mark Cuban, Daymond John, Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec and Kevin O'Leary.

 

[CrazyInAlabama]

Sharks-Mark, Daymond, Lori, Mark, Robert

  

Pluie-diaper changing table with UV lights to sanitize diaper changing stations.   Sanitizes in 60 seconds.  In test locations in airports, and several other places.  Robert says it’s too expensive, and only for commercial spaces.  I agree with Robert, no one is going to pay this much, and maintain it. 

No deal.  

Flated-inflatable truck caps, rooftop cargo lockers, and truck bed air mattresses.   You can use the toppers, mattresses, and lockers when you travel, and deflate once you’re home.  They fit in a backpack carrier.   $277k in sales this year, hoping for $600k total this year.  80% are the toppers.   Their valuation is too high.   Kevin points out that since the topper is 80% of their sales, why are they selling the other items>    Toppers are about $1800 each.

Daymond makes the deal.

Woof Help-app for pet owners, that notifies emergency contacts for the owner if the owner is not able to get home.   If something unexpected happens to the owner, the app reaches out to you, and then your emergency contact list, to get help for your pets.    There is a timer you set, and after the set number of hours expires, the app reaches out to you, and can’t reach you, then the emergency contacts are contacted.    It costs $29.99 a year, or $2.99 a month.   He actually has subscribers. 

 I'm wondering if they could also be an alert system where people with health issues, or those who live alone could check in at certain intervals, or help is sent?    And many places the fire department or other emergency services will take a door key, put in a Knox Box (a device that is secure, and can only be opened by emergency services) above your door, or on the wall, and they can enter your home in an emergency without breaking the door in.   

No deal, but great advice from the Sharks.

Sweetkiwi-frozen yogurt brand developed in Nigeria.    Healthy alternative to regular frozen yogurt.  Whipped frozen yogurt, from whole milk, probiotics in it.   They have six flavors in their best sellers.  Not much sugar in it.   They have opened retail stores in Nigeria, and they’re one of the biggest frozen yogurt sellers in Africa.    They’re selling in Whole Foods, some Walmart stores, Kroger.  Anticipated sales this year $1.2 to $1.4 million this year, they break even and make a profit.    Kevin made an offer, but he dropped out.

Robert makes the deal.

Update:  Tandem Boogie, now called Tandem Surf.   Daniel Lubetzky and Robert invested.  Ran into supply chain issues, and changed the name to Tandem Surf.   They have $600k in sales since Shark Tank.

Edited March 11, 2023 by CrazyInAlabama

[nlkm9]

Kevin got very irritated with that frozen yogurt woman blathering on - i cant say i blame him, he gave her permission to listen to other offers but it seemed endless. I always love the all roads lesd to mr wonderful.

[EtheltoTillie]

I'm a dog owner in NYC, and I think the Woof app was stupid.  One objection got made and was then glossed over.  They asked if the Woof people were caring for the pets if necessary.  Instead, if they can't find a family member or friend to go in, they will have the police go in and remove the pets.  What do you think will happen to those pets?  They'll be taken to a city shelter.  They will not be protected.  If they're not able to offer a temporary boarding service for these instances, what is the point? 

 

I was impressed that the yogurt lady studied ice cream making at Penn State.  That's a big thing there as part of their agriculture programs.  We visited their campus once, and they have a student run ice-cream store. 

[tired and hungry]

I thought the baby changing station was a good idea but I don't think they would get a lot of businesses to buy their product. It seems like an extra expense for a business. Plus its maintenence seems expensive, like what happens when the UV sanitization breaks down or needs repairs? Did they even mention how much the product cost?

Woof Helpline guy had good intentions when he started the business but its not really a great execution. Why do they need to take the animal from the home to a seperate shelter? Wouldn't the home be a more safer/known environment for the pet? Imagine breaking the door down and trying to rescue the pet and then taking them to an unknown location/shelter. Seems a bit too stressful for the animals. 

SweetKiwi people seemed nice. I liked how the lady told her medical story without shedding any tears. They definitely wanted Mark to make an offer instead of Kevin. They were lucky Robert gave them a deal. 

[DrSpaceman73]

4 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I'm a dog owner in NYC, and I think the Woof app was stupid.  One objection got made and was then glossed over.  They asked if the Woof people were caring for the pets if necessary.  Instead, if they can't find a family member or friend to go in, they will have the police go in and remove the pets.  What do you think will happen to those pets?  They'll be taken to a city shelter.  They will not be protected.  If they're not able to offer a temporary boarding service for these instances, what is the point? 

 

I was impressed that the yogurt lady studied ice cream making at Penn State.  That's a big thing there as part of their agriculture programs.  We visited their campus once, and they have a student run ice-cream store. 

Yeah I would HATE that idea with woof.  How is it a selling point that the authorities came and take your pets?  That sounds like a nightmare worst case scenario. 

The guy who runs it is just trying to get by with no overhead.  The obvious way to run it is as you state and others mentioned, the service to care for the pets if you can't. Charge a fee. Keep them safe. But he doesn't want to do that because of overhead snd more work. 

3 hours ago, tired and hungry said:

I thought the baby changing station was a good idea but I don't think they would get a lot of businesses to buy their product. It seems like an extra expense for a business. Plus its maintenence seems expensive, like what happens when the UV sanitization breaks down or needs repairs? Did they even mention how much the product cost?

Woof Helpline guy had good intentions when he started the business but its not really a great execution. Why do they need to take the animal from the home to a seperate shelter? Wouldn't the home be a more safer/known environment for the pet? Imagine breaking the door down and trying to rescue the pet and then taking them to an unknown location/shelter. Seems a bit too stressful for the animals. 

SweetKiwi people seemed nice. I liked how the lady told her medical story without shedding any tears. They definitely wanted Mark to make an offer instead of Kevin. They were lucky Robert gave them a deal. 

I had the same thoughts with the baby changing things.  Good idea but it breaks down and then just becomes a very overpriced regular changing station. You know someone will break it.  I don't blame companies for not wanting the extra headache. And most moms have wipes and changing pads to use on it anyway.  

[Tango64]

Woof has a fatal flaw that hasn’t been exposed yet because of his low number of subscribers. Wellness checks are a real thing; on request, police will go check on the safety of people. I’ve never heard of a wellness check for an animal. At best, I’d expect police to refer you to animal control. Even then I bet it would be very low priority, if done at all  

Especially in NYC, I think a call from “Woof” asking police to go check on someone’s cat or dog would be met with laughter.

Even if they did, do you really want your pet taken to the pound instead of going hungry for a few days until someone realizes?

Now if the service sent someone to take care of the pet, that could work. But that’s more than one guy and an app.

 

Edited March 11, 2023 by Tango64

[KaveDweller]

Agree with all the comments on the Woof app. Having someone come to take care of your dog until you get home is a good idea. But it would be really hard to roll out, because you'd need to hire people at all sorts of locations to do it. Why would someone want the police to come and take their dog to a shelter? Also, is it the best use of the cops time to go check on someone's dog? I know wellness checks are a thing, but really. It also wasn't smart of the guy to name the business "Woof" when it isn't just dogs, and even dumber to name his app with a name he didn't get the rights too.

I also thought the changing station was a great idea for parents, but not the best investment. I think Robert said it, if you have to change your baby's diaper, you have to change your baby's diaper. I don't have kids, but I can't imagine being like "I'm not going to go to Target anymore, they don't have a fancy changing station in the bathroom. So what is the business's incentive for making the purchase? Maybe fancy baby-oriented stores?

[eel21788]

23 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

Woof Help-app for pet owners, that notifies emergency contacts for the owner if the owner is not able to get home.   If something unexpected happens to the owner, the app reaches out to you, and then your emergency contact list, to get help for your pets.    There is a timer you set, and after the set number of hours expires, the app reaches out to you, and can’t reach you, then the emergency contacts are contacted.

If you end up in an ER incapacitated, the hospital is going to notify your emergency contact for free. I would think that person would know you have a pet at home that needs care, and hopefully also a way to get into your house without calling the authorities to break down the door.

I can't think of any other scenario where you wouldn't be able to call a friend or neighbor yourself to go check on your pets. I can also think of numerous incidents when you were just running late that would trigger false alarms.  

[eel21788]

10 hours ago, tired and hungry said:

I thought the baby changing station was a good idea but I don't think they would get a lot of businesses to buy their product. It seems like an extra expense for a business. Plus its maintenence seems expensive, like what happens when the UV sanitization breaks down or needs repairs? Did they even mention how much the product cost?

$1312 to make; sells for $2699

That one woman sounded so pleased with herself when she rattled off numerous big chain stores where they had locations, then admitted that they only had their product in 115 locations total. Obviously, none of the big chains had an interest placing it throughout their domain. I'd also like to know what the name was supposed to mean. It didn't seem to have anything to do with the product.

[eel21788]

On 3/10/2023 at 7:01 PM, CrazyInAlabama said:

Sweetkiwi-frozen yogurt brand developed in Nigeria.    Healthy alternative to regular frozen yogurt.  Whipped frozen yogurt, from whole milk, probiotics in it. 

Every time I heard the word "probiotics" I run for the hills. I tried a probiotic once, and I ended up with intestinal flora growing in my throat. It took 2 rounds of antibiotics to get rid of the proteus mirabilis infection and another round to get rid of the subsequent pseudomonas infection as well. Never again.

I also think the amount of sugar she stated was pretty comparable to other brands of frozen yogurt.

[Vermicious Knid]

I was thinking if poop or pee got on the changing table would UV sterilization actually do anything? My biggest pet peeve is nobody ever puts the thing back up and you nearly get bisected walking in the stall. Make a gadget that automatically closes one when there's no weight detected, them I'll be impressed. 

[30 Helens]

“Hello, Woof? Yes, I see you’ve been trying to reach me. Sorry, I forgot about the timer and I accidentally had my phone on silent… So you couldn’t reach my friend, either?… Oh. So who has my dog? I just got home and she’s not here…. You called Animal Services? She’s at the pound??” “Hello, Animal Services? Did you bring in a black Lab last night?…Yes, I understand the shelter’s full…You what? You kIlled my dog??”

Horrible idea.

Also, if you’re afraid of public changing tables, just keep a clean table cover in your diaper bag. Maybe that’s what they should be marketing! Hygienic disposable changing table pads! 

[seacliffsal]

It seems to me that the easiest solution for the changing table would be to manufacture changing table covers similar to the toilet seat covers (out of paper) that most restrooms provide in the toilet stalls.  As others have mentioned, a lot of parents already carry something in the diaper bag that will cover the changing table.  I agreed with the Sharks that most companies already provide a solution at a much lower cost, and that there would be retrofitting involved due to the need for electrical (and maintaining that technology is probably really expensive).

I really liked the idea of the inflatable camping gear, but my concern would be how easily could someone break into it?  The hard shells provide security as well as functionality.  But, in terms of being able to remove the shell and easily store it, it is a good idea.

Agree with others about the Woof app.  If he was content to work hard and stay small, he could offer the personalized rescue service that this app implies but doesn't provide.  It could then be franchised to others who provide the similar service in a limited area.  It would stay small, but could provide a livable income.  But, no, he already wanted it to be worth a million dollars while being nothing more than a service to call animal control.

Sweetkiwi is just another in the long line of frozen "healthy" desserts that have been on the show.  I don't even understand the name of the product-I would assume that kiwi was the main ingredient.  I agreed with Kevin-the presenters were trying too hard to woo Mark who had already dropped out.  They were very lucky that Robert was interested.

[theatremouse]

10 hours ago, Vermicious Knid said:

I was thinking if poop or pee got on the changing table would UV sterilization actually do anything? 

Most considerate people have wipes (or at least grab the toilet paper from the stall) and would not leave physical stuff behind. The UV is just taking care of the germs that'd be left behind. But true, if someone left a mess on the table, that'd still be on it, but it'd be sanitized-ish, since UV can only kills the germs it has a clear path to.

[DrSpaceman73]

29 minutes ago, theatremouse said:

Most considerate people have wipes (or at least grab the toilet paper from the stall) and would not leave physical stuff behind. The UV is just taking care of the germs that'd be left behind. But true, if someone left a mess on the table, that'd still be on it, but it'd be sanitized-ish, since UV can only kills the germs it has a clear path to.

Unfortunately while most people are considerate not all are.  As I've noticed from how many people don't clean up after their dogs.  

 

[KaveDweller]

17 hours ago, eel21788 said:

If you end up in an ER incapacitated, the hospital is going to notify your emergency contact for free. I would think that person would know you have a pet at home that needs care, and hopefully also a way to get into your house without calling the authorities to break down the door.

I can't think of any other scenario where you wouldn't be able to call a friend or neighbor yourself to go check on your pets. I can also think of numerous incidents when you were just running late that would trigger false alarms.  

Really the only scenario is someone who lives alone, doesn't know their neighbors, and has no friends/family in the immediate area of where they live.

If people are going to use the app, they'd probably have to set the time to be like 12 hours after they are supposed to get home. Otherwise you'll be getting calls from the app to check on you if you went out for drinks after work and forget to check in on the app. And I'd think most pets would be find if you are just a few hours later than expected. Maybe there'd be a mess for you to clean up, but the animal would be okay.

[aemom]

The change table is a really nice idea, but I also don't see businesses shelling out that kind of money - and the name is dumb!  I remember that I avoided those tables at all costs, but when I had to use one, I would put a baby blanket down and then stuff that blanket in a plastic bag and it went straight into the hamper when I got home.

Woof - how is it helpful to have emergency services drag your pet off to the animal shelter?  I agree with everyone else that it would be much better to provide a service where someone will take your pet and care for it.  Sure there are liability issues and whatnot, but that's what waivers are for.

Frozen Greek yogurt - I've never seen that - and I would be interested in seeing how the nutritional numbers stack up to traditional yogurt.  But they don't appear to be in Canada, so I'm SOL to try it.

The inflatable stuff seems interesting and useful, but is not something that I have a need for.

 

The more time goes on, the more sensible and less mean Kevin seems to me.  Maybe we're both mellowing with age?

[lh25]

On 3/11/2023 at 11:24 AM, DrSpaceman73 said:

I had the same thoughts with the baby changing things.  Good idea but it breaks down and then just becomes a very overpriced regular changing station. You know someone will break it.

I agree.  In my area those things get trashed all the time.