S06.E29: Shark Wheel, Gato Cafe, Sway Motorsports, Spikeball

[yeswedo]

GoPro founder Nick Woodman returns to the Tank in the Season 6 finale: a cat lover wants patrons to enjoy adorable rescue cats while relaxing at a cafe; a toy designer has a thrilling all-electric compact vehicle; and is it possible that a duo has reinvented the wheel in the shape of a cube? Also: recaps and updates featuring various entrepreneurs that appeared in Season 6.

[designing1]

Someone's pitching a cat cafe? Those have been around for awhile. How far in advance are these shows taped, anyway?

[nobodyyoucare]

Someone's pitching a cat cafe? Those have been around for awhile. How far in advance are these shows taped, anyway?

In Japan they have been around for a while. US quite rare to non existent. 

[NikSac]

I'll be interested to see the GoPro update. My husband was big into road course auto racing right around the time those came out, or anyway around the time they started becoming affordable for racers. Every track we went to had a ton of those cameras and it seemed like they almost always sold out the first day of a 2 or 3 day event. I had no idea they were affiliated with Shark Tank at all.

[ae2]

I'll be interested to see the GoPro update. My husband was big into road course auto racing right around the time those came out, or anyway around the time they started becoming affordable for racers. Every track we went to had a ton of those cameras and it seemed like they almost always sold out the first day of a 2 or 3 day event. I had no idea they were affiliated with Shark Tank at all.

 

They're not. The founder is on the Shark panel as an investor. It's his second appearance. In his first, he mentioned GoPro or said "in my business" every second sentence. So I imagine you'll get a pretty good update :)

[NikSac]

They're not. The founder is on the Shark panel as an investor. It's his second appearance. In his first, he mentioned GoPro or said "in my business" every second sentence. So I imagine you'll get a pretty good update :)

 

Oh!  Thanks for the update. I'm pretty new to Shark Tank. haha.. well, I'll still enjoy the update.

[bilgistic]

Hey, Kevin, my cats don't like you either.

[mjc570]

I felt somewhat bad for the motorcycle guy - the perfect shark for him would have been Robert.

[roctavia]

I feel like some of tonight's people would have had better luck if Robert had been on the panel this week...

 

The scooter thing seemed pretty cool... but the spike ball thing was just sort of lame. The cat café might be fun, but she didn't seem like she was at a place for an investment.

 

I still think the gopro guy is useless as a shark.

[BusyOctober]

I'm getting sick of the rehashed "updates". Why do I have to see how the stupid Christmas sweater company is doing every week? I don't need to see the same old gang hanging out at Target. I'm beginning to think of all the deals made on the show, only a tiny fraction go through since we don't get very many updates on anything besides the kid who makes dog biscuits, the cupcake ladies, the boot socks lady or the damn Tipsy Elves.

Cat cafe?!? I know they exist, but huh? If I were a cat lover-which I'm not- I'd stay home with my own cat or rescue one at my local shelter. I know she said in FL the health code allows for animals in establishments serving beverages & prepackaged food, but no thanks. There would still be cat hair and cat smell all over the place. I know I have probably offended a whole bunch of you with feline fur babies, but "I'm out."

[roseha]

I feel like some of tonight's people would have had better luck if Robert had been on the panel this week...

 

I agree, especially the wheel guys and the "Sway" guy, but, that said, I like that someone asked Sway guy if his invention would be considered legal and he said "in California" (and the EU?).  I have a feeling that neither Sway nor the recent Air Car would be allowed in New York state.  We can't even legally ride electric bikes here.

Edited May 16, 2015 by roseha

[hoodooznoodooz]

Daymond was wearing a brown velvet jacket? I usually think he looks great.

Lori's eyelashes look like spider legs.

I would love to try Shark Wheels on my inline skates, my scooter and a skateboard.

I think a puppy cafe would be a big draw.

The Sway is well-priced! I thought he would've priced them at $800 each.

Edited May 16, 2015 by hoodooznoodooz

[zxy556575]

I went into a snorting laugh at the sight of Mark, Damon, and Lori smiling at the kittens, then cut to Kevin glowering. Even if the shot was out of sequence, still funny. But honestly, the cat cafe presenter seemed very nice and all, but I may as well have gone on and asked for $75K to open a Tom and Chee franchise.

 

If those square wheels really are that much better, the skateboard world would be all over them already, so I have my doubts. There must be a learning curve to them, or some other downside.

 

I'm curious if anyone remembers the name of the design company where the Sway guy works. My ex is one of the founders and I'm wondering if they're going to get a Shark Tank bump now. ;)

[atir]

That cat cafe was deeesgusting! Probably one of the worst ideas ever. Like the poster above "cat hair everywhere" plus what about the smell? Who wants to touch a cat & food? Urg

[marny]

The Sway is well-priced! I thought he would've priced them at $800 each.

 

I thought I heard him say they were $7999.  Which to me is really reasonable for a motorized bike/trike alternative, but probably more than a moped.

Edited May 16, 2015 by marny

[Latverian Diplomat]

A couple of big engineering pitches tonight. I'm not a mechanical engineer, but I've hung out with a few of them over the years. 

 

On sharkwheel, I didn't see how the geometry of the wheel worked to do all the things the guy claimed for it, but I'm not particularly good at visualizing that sort of thing. I can believe it could be nice for skateboards, because a flexible wheel might act as a sort of a suspension, but people have been tinkering with other ways to add suspensions to skateboards too.

 

Anyone can have a great idea, you don't need a degree for that, but I think a trained engineer would be able to test and evaluate the design and really document its advantages and explain any tradeoffs vs. traditional designs. The inventor was basically claiming it was superior in every way to anything that's come before, and that's just hard to believe from solely from his blanket assertions.

 

On Sway, this does have a guy with impressive credentials behind it, but I did have a couple of concerns. One is that that steering linkage looks complicated, and I wonder how durable/easy to maintain it is. The other is that three wheel vehicles are legal, but there have been some real safety problems with three wheel designs. They have more mass than two wheeler, but are more prone to tip over than a four wheeler. With a motor onboard, you can get yourself into trouble. Again, the guy probably knows what he's doing, but those two factors would make me nervous.

[NikSac]

I agree, especially the wheel guys and the "Sway" guy, but, that said, I like that someone asked Sway guy if his invention would be considered legal and he said "in California" (and the EU?).  I have a feeling that neither Sway nor the recent Air Car would be allowed in New York state.  We can't even legally ride electric bikes here.

 

I'm in California and find it hard to believe that Sway thing would be street legal here, either. It'd probably take awhile for people to get in trouble for them, but I can't see it.

[NikSac]

I think a puppy cafe would be a big draw.

 

hee this reminded me of a fun moment. When hubby and I were on our honeymoon in Maui there was a place where you could pick up a picnic lunch and rent a "road trip" audio tape to take with you, plus they also had "loaner" dogs. You were supposed to be able to pick out a dog to take with you for the day. I picked one I liked and had been petting but when I went to put a leash on him, he bit me (not hard, but it was clear he didn't want to go). Apparently he was not a fan of the concept.  I had to wonder about that with the cat cafe too - don't they ever get a cat that's just grouchy or having a bad day?  Also I'm an animal lover and I'll even gladly eat on a patio that allows people+pet dining, but I can't imagine intentionally going somewhere that had cats crawling all over the place. Ick. I'm sure not going to pay a cover charge to drink furry coffee and eat baked goods that may or may not have cat hair all over them.

 

ETA: in case any animal lovers were wondering, we decided to forego the "loaner dog" and he stayed at the store. He was still there when we returned our road trip tape at the end of the day and we were buddies again.

Edited May 16, 2015 by NikSac

[bilgistic]

don't they ever get a cat that's just grouchy or having a bad day?

You say this like this is not every day for cats. I have two cats and they run my world. My food isn't fur-filled. I start with clean hands, clean dishes and clean surfaces that the cats aren't allowed on (I tell myself), and I encounter in my gourmet cereal or macaroni and cheese from a box maybe one cat hair a week--out of billions in my environment. I'm being completely serious. I would love a cat cafe except I already pay my cats to spend time with them at home. Edited May 16, 2015 by bilgistic

[NikSac]

bilgistic lol... I know! I am more of a dog person now but grew up with cats. In either case it's like "good luck!" keeping their hair out of stuff even when they're clean, I'm clean, surfaces are clean, etc. and I try my best, but it still happens. I can't even imagine how bad it'd be in a whole cafe full of cats running all over the place. I'd way rather spend time with my pets at home than pay someone else to spend time with their critters. Your post made me picture your cats at the door collecting a cover charge - I bet most cats would if they could figure out how while still sunning most of the day.

[bilgistic]

One of mine greets me at the door when I get home from work, as if I have cat food on my person. That's what he really wants.

[cooksdelight]

I can see my two cats in a cat cafe now..... one I call Sourpuss Seymour would be crouched under a table, swatting at people's legs as they walk by. Doing the "silent meow". The other would be in everyone's face giving head butts. I love animals, but I think this concept is only popular in the Asian countries for some reason. And NO, don't go there....I know what you're thinking. :)

I don't like GoPro guy as a shark either. Something about him just turns me way the hell off.

[leighdear]

The Cate Café cover charge of $9.00 seems way too high for me.  And where are the litter boxes kept? Because there would need to be several kept waaaaay out of the way.  It takes a while to box train kittens, so in the meantime you have accidents on the floor. Yuck.  Do they stay at the café forever if people don't adopt them?   I'll say the biggest expense would be disposable gloves for the staff. Between cleaning, litter boxes and food service, they'll go through millions. 

 

Her "pitch" was a waste-of-time "concept" the producers just threw in there to  have something entertaining between the tech-based pitches.  I hate that.

[ae2]

I heard $7999 for the Sway, which is about double what I expected. To put it in perspective, you can get a brand new Honda Rebel motorcycle - an entry level bike (and often seen as a "woman's bike") - for around $5000. It has a small 234cc engine but will have much more power and distance then the Sway. Obviously there are other reasons to buy a Sway, but the price is too high in my opinion. It did look slick though.

 

Definitely needed Robert for these pitches. But with the Sway and the Spikeball you could tell Mark personally loved the ideas, but was holding back on investing because they weren't necessarily good business ventures.Glad he struck the deal with Sway. 

[nobodyyoucare]

 

I'm getting sick of the rehashed "updates". Why do I have to see how the stupid Christmas sweater company is doing every week? I don't need to see the same old gang hanging out at Target. I'm beginning to think of all the deals made on the show, only a tiny fraction go through since we don't get very many updates on anything besides the kid who makes dog biscuits, the cupcake ladies, the boot socks lady or the damn Tipsy Elves.

They showed over ten different companies during the update recap. 

[theatremouse]

I agree, especially the wheel guys and the "Sway" guy, but, that said, I like that someone asked Sway guy if his invention would be considered legal and he said "in California" (and the EU?).  I have a feeling that neither Sway nor the recent Air Car would be allowed in New York state.  We can't even legally ride electric bikes here.

I might be wrong, and who knows with editing, but I don't think the questions/discussion at that point was of street-legalness. I took that as a given from other things he said that they are street legal. They were talking about whether you need a motorcycle license to ride it, and you don't in CA or the EU. So, to me, that sort of covered gopro dude's question of education? Kinda? Because he seemed to be saying education was a barrier to entry and he'd buy it, and people like him would buy it, but someone not in the know about these types of vehicles in general wouldn't without loads of explanation. And it seems, if you'd need a motorcycle license to drive it in 49 states, then in those states the target market is people with motorcycle licenses, which puts them closer to the "people like him" he was talking about.

[Primetimer]

You don't have to reinvent the wheel to get on the season finale of Shark Tank, but it certainly helped one guy.

Read the story

[starri]

That cat cafe was deeesgusting! Probably one of the worst ideas ever. Like the poster above "cat hair everywhere" plus what about the smell? Who wants to touch a cat & food? Urg

Cat owners?  There's an extremely popular cat cafe in Lower Manhattan, and they are booked solid until the end of the month.

 

Also, it's also partly an adoption center, and remembering how depressing the cattery was at the shelter where my husband and I adopted our boy, I would have loved to have been able to play with him in a more relaxed setting.

 

Nick Woodman is a nice-looking man, but if you'd made a drinking game out of the number of times he said "GoPro," you'd be dead of alcohol poisoning.

[saber5055]

Just when I was going to give him a little credit for not holding lack of education against the one guy (because I also believe a person doesn't have to be well-educated to be successful), he has to go and make that remark.  Asshole.

 

 

Someone needs to send him a video of his stint on Celebrity Jeopardy and remind him of it when he gets too jackassery. Mr. Wonderful is no Einstein. Enough said there.

 

The Cat Café would appeal to cat lovers, so the litter box and hair thing wouldn't be a big deal, plus the place would have to be cleaned every day, or it SHOULD be, in order to keep the place spotless. I'd have to be a BIG cat lover to go there since cats are notorious for jumping up on tables. Mine was never allowed to do that, but we would hear him on the kitchen table and counters when we were in the living room. He was smart enough to jump down and look innocent as soon as he heard us coming to yell at him.

 

A cat café was promo'd on the national news a while back so I know they exist, or at least one does. It does seem like it was in NYC, although I cannot remember details. While not a cat lover, I do think it's a great idea. Although maybe not an investment-worthy one.

Edited May 16, 2015 by saber5055

[hoodooznoodooz]

I thought I heard him say they were $7999.  Which to me is really reasonable for a motorized bike/trike alternative, but probably more than a moped.

oh, dear. That's what I get for relying on closed-captioning! Cc read $79.99!!!

[Amarsir]

I think Nick would have been a better replacement for Mark than Robert. Similar sort of energy (and bank account). Because I agree, Robert might have shown interest in some of these.

 

 

On sharkwheel, I didn't see how the geometry of the wheel worked to do all the things the guy claimed for it, but I'm not particularly good at visualizing that sort of thing. I can believe it could be nice for skateboards, because a flexible wheel might act as a sort of a suspension, but people have been tinkering with other ways to add suspensions to skateboards too.

I get it. If you look at the Shark Wheel from exactly the side, it will look like a normal wheel. From the front, it would take up double the width of a wheel but with less thickness.  Imagine a pair of wheels, then diagonal connectors going back and forth, then take away alternating redundant portions. The result is something that's wider, but also not, and with a constant radius.

 

I can see why it might do what he says. A normal wheel hits a rock, it has nowhere to go but bounce over or jump sideways. On this one, the wheel is about to shift to the other parallel so it's going around the obstacle.  Worst case if the rock is perfectly positioned to jolt the wheel, it's a minor move.  All the stability benefit of wider wheels but without the footprint of them.  And as for traction, picture the diagonals. That's cutting across the terrain in a way that a normal wheel only would if you were doing switchbacks. So those claims are plausible.

 

Now here's my problems with it.  First, I'm not sure it has the same structural integrity. Circles equalize pressure and that makes them stable and hard to dent. I'm not certain his design has that same integrity. Certainly it rules out certain subsequent choices: for example I'm sure he'd love to sell these for car wheels, but an inflated tire on that shape just wouldn't hold.  Second, picture what happens when the wheel tilts. Put it on the Sway for example. From the perspective of that diagonal contact you're on a wheel with pieces missing.  It will jolt and stutter and probably self-destruct.

 

So as clever as I think that invention is, it's going to be limited in applications.  Still might be huge, though.

 

On Sway, this does have a guy with impressive credentials behind it, but I did have a couple of concerns. One is that that steering linkage looks complicated, and I wonder how durable/easy to maintain it is. The other is that three wheel vehicles are legal, but there have been some real safety problems with three wheel designs. They have more mass than two wheeler, but are more prone to tip over than a four wheeler. With a motor onboard, you can get yourself into trouble. Again, the guy probably knows what he's doing, but those two factors would make me nervous.

 

 

My first concern was the "patented" battery on the bottom. It seems like if you hit a pothole, that thing could bottom out and you've just damaged the most important part and stranded yourself.  Also I'm a suburban guy so maybe I just don't get it, but how big is this market that every inventor seems to want? Segways to electric skateboards to aircars to the "Sway" to dozens of other ideas. They might be fun; I've rented a Segway on vacation and loved it. But none of these are being embraced by society at large that I can see.

[nobodyyoucare]

 

y first concern was the "patented" battery on the bottom. It seems like if you hit a pothole, that thing could bottom out and you've just damaged the most important part and stranded yourself.

The battery looks like has some layers   protecting it. At worst case they could do what tesla does and put a titanium shield on the bottom that can resist steel beams and concrete blocks. 

[Latverian Diplomat]

Found an interesting interview with the Shark Wheel guys. A little background. David Patrick (the inventor) claims to have solved the grand unified theory, using shapes instead of symbolic mathematics. He claims the Shark Wheel was inspired by one of the shapes from his theory. So, in this interview, we seem him allude to that theory, and the COO (Fleishman) immediately tries to change the subject.

 

Q. I would have thought you guys were engineers or you had been thinking about this for eons. Where did this come from?

A. Patrick: Out of the clear blue sky. It was one of those things where I had a revelation, and it all spurred from that initial scientific discovery. It’s going to come out I solved the Grand Unification Theory. I’m able to hold up to review, so I don’t mind making a big claim. I took a very simplistic view. I was looking for a simple answer.

Q. How does this tie in with the wheel?

A. Patrick: This shape is key to my discovery. I see the shape as a building block, a cube around a sphere. I used it as a pathway. I see it as part of my scientific work.

Fleishman: (The theory) has nothing to do with the wheel and his discovery. It’s a shape seen all through nature. That shape is nature’s motion. It’s how nature moves in alternating paths. If you look at how a snake moves, how fish swim in a sine wave shape, that’s how humans walk, they walk in an alternating motion. Light waves, sound waves, they’re all shaped in a wave. It’s how nature moves, in a wave. It’s not a circle.

 

From:

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/wheel-660136-patrick-shark.html

 

Here's a little more about Patrick's GUT, but it's still pretty vague

http://upstart.bizjournals.com/news/technology/2013/06/13/shark-wheel-inventor-goes-after-physics.html?page=all

For those of you not familiar with physics, the odds that he has really solved the GUT problem are basically zero. I'm getting a real con artist vibe from this guy.

 

Here's a picture that provides the best explanation I could find of why the Shark Wheel could work well in certain conditions:
http://www.longboardism.com/2013/08/shark-wheel-the-wheel-reinvented.html/2

 

Lastly, here's a review that says while the Shark Wheel may have some advantages, a lot of the claims about the physics of how and why it is better don't really hold up.

http://physicsbuzz.physicscentral.com/2013/06/reinventing-wheel.html

Edited May 16, 2015 by Latverian Diplomat

[theatremouse]

I get why shark wheel dude wants to expand to strollers and wagons and whatnot, but it seems to me they're doing well with skateboards, so apparently his concept is proven or at least convinced the masses in the skateboard set. So then I wonder: how large is the skateboard wheel market? Even if they crash and burn or have no application for other types of wheels, if they simply reinvented the skateboard wheel, and the market's big enough in that space, they might still have a viable thing going on. Although he does seem to either be nuts or a con artist or possibly both, so I wouldn't want to be in business with him, but the business itself might still be a reasonable idea, even if it can't expand the way they were implying it might.

[Amarsir]

David Patrick (the inventor) claims to have solved the grand unified theory, using shapes instead of symbolic mathematics. He claims the Shark Wheel was inspired by one of the shapes from his theory. 

Wow.

 

Oh man do I wish he would have brought that up on the show. The ensuing comments from the sharks would have truly been Season Finale-worthy.

[nobodyyoucare]

Its declining with this http://www.shop-eat-surf.com/2009/05/the-state-of-the-skateboarding-industry/stating in 2009 the market was 4.8 billion. But that is tshirts and all skateboarding merch together.

[Beach Party]

I disagreed with the Sway critique saying anyone who'd buy the Sway would just get a motorcycle. Surprise the entrepreneur did not have a come back for that.  Many adults would love to ride a motorcycle, but the thought of taking a spill on two wheels limits new riders.  One slip could lead to paralysis or death.  Looks pretty hard to topple the Sway.  Perfect for high schoolers and college students, commuters in crowded metropolitan area, and weekend joyriders.

 

Competition:  Elio Motors is developing a $6800 three-wheeled vehicle that gets 84mpg. 42,000+ people have paid a deposit to buy when they are ready.  This vehicle has a cabin (sheltered from the weather) and room for a passenger/groceries.   Sway will have competition.  https://www.eliomotors.com/

Edited May 16, 2015 by Beach Party

[NikSac]

My first concern was the "patented" battery on the bottom. It seems like if you hit a pothole, that thing could bottom out and you've just damaged the most important part and stranded yourself.  Also I'm a suburban guy so maybe I just don't get it, but how big is this market that every inventor seems to want? Segways to electric skateboards to aircars to the "Sway" to dozens of other ideas. They might be fun; I've rented a Segway on vacation and loved it. But none of these are being embraced by society at large that I can see.

 

I wonder about this market too. Are there really that many people looking for a kinda-sorta replacement for a car? I actually think in some ways the Segway lucked into their markets - fun for tourists, and also good for getting around places like warehouses quickly. My husband used to do road course racing and the officials used Segways all the time to get from one end of the track/pits to the other. It wasn't all that far, but I'm sure after the 50th trip up and back it gets old! I may be remembering wrong but I kind of remember Segway originally being marketed as more of a commuter 'vehicle' for business people with short commutes. In real-life use it seems like it's been more either used on-site at places where it makes sense, or as a fun novelty thing. Electric skateboards, Sway, Aircar, etc. just don't make sense to me. They have some of the advantages of Segway but without the primary advantage of being so compact (well, except maybe the skateboard).

[Amarsir]

 I may be remembering wrong but I kind of remember Segway originally being marketed as more of a commuter 'vehicle' for business people with short commutes.

That's how I remember it too.  

 

Of note: Shark Tank launched in Australia this year, and one of the episodes featured an inventor with the "Caseboard", an electric skateboard that folds up to business case size. He got a deal and a lot of the talk was about getting the rights to sell it in America. (That happens a lot on their show, for obvious reasons.)  So that's probably the best possible compact answer. But public safety laws aside, I don't know who's too urban to use a car, traveling far enough it's not easier to just walk, and wouldn't rather use public transportation. Bikes seem the most like existing competition, but those have a major selling point via health benefits.

[KaveDweller]

I'm getting sick of the rehashed "updates". Why do I have to see how the stupid Christmas sweater company is doing every week? I don't need to see the same old gang hanging out at Target. I'm beginning to think of all the deals made on the show, only a tiny fraction go through since we don't get very many updates on anything besides the kid who makes dog biscuits, the cupcake ladies, the boot socks lady or the damn Tipsy Elves.

 

They've done updates for products that haven't gotten a deal though, or at least they used to do them.  I think the updates get old though, because they are all about how wonderful companies are doing.  It makes them blend together.

[zxy556575]

Competition: Elio Motors is developing a $6800 three-wheeled vehicle that gets 84mpg. 42,000+ people have paid a deposit to buy when they are ready. This vehicle has a cabin (sheltered from the weather) and room for a passenger/groceries. Sway will have competition.

 

 

Was there any discussion about the Sway's top speed or MPG? The Elio seems like a much better option for most shortish-distance commuters. Although perhaps not for largish ones.

Edited May 17, 2015 by lordonia

[atir]

A ?for u brains. Would the sharkwheel work on skates?

[woodscommaelle]

I'm curious if anyone remembers the name of the design company where the Sway guy works. My ex is one of the founders and I'm wondering if they're going to get a Shark Tank bump now. ;)

Think it was Ideo.

They're not. The founder is on the Shark panel as an investor. It's his second appearance. In his first, he mentioned GoPro or said "in my business" every second sentence. So I imagine you'll get a pretty good update :)

This time it was 'dude', 'rip' and 'wicked.'

[ae2]

I disagreed with the Sway critique saying anyone who'd buy the Sway would just get a motorcycle. Surprise the entrepreneur did not have a come back for that. Many adults would love to ride a motorcycle, but the thought of taking a spill on two wheels limits new riders. One slip could lead to paralysis or death. Looks pretty hard to topple the Sway. Perfect for high schoolers and college students, commuters in crowded metropolitan area, and weekend joyriders.

Competition: Elio Motors is developing a $6800 three-wheeled vehicle that gets 84mpg. 42,000+ people have paid a deposit to buy when they are ready. This vehicle has a cabin (sheltered from the weather) and room for a passenger/groceries. Sway will have competition. https://www.eliomotors.com/

The danger of a motorcycle isn't toppling on your own. If you ride reasonably your chances of simply falling over are low, and if it happens it would most likely be at a low speed when stopping. Those rarely cause injury. The real danger with a motorcycle is drivers in bigger vehicles, and yourself (being stupid). A three wheeler doesn't help with either of those issues.

It really is like riding a bicycle in that once you get going it's very tough to simply fall over. Harder than on a bicycle, really.

That said, you are probably correct that a lot of the perceived danger in a motorcycle is fear of falling.

Anyway, I don't see the Sway as a serious competitor to a motorcycle and the audience would probably be different, but I think the $8k price is way too high because you can get a much more versatile and effective machine for cheaper, whether that's a motorcycle or a seven year old car or three segways or a four wheeler or a half dozen riding mowers or a couple Vespas. :)

[nobodyyoucare]

Was there any discussion about the Sway's top speed or MPG? The Elio seems like a much better option for most shortish-distance commuters. Although perhaps not for largish ones.

http://www.swaymotorsports.com/40 mpg for full charge for 7999 model and 55 mile range. 

 

In regards to Sway only a few states will require a license to operate it. Also most states will not require a helmet.

 

The Elio car on the other hand will require a motorcycle license to operate and require you to wear a helmet in most states.

 

http://carbuying.jalopnik.com/six-things-that-could-kill-elio-motors-before-it-even-l-1646776191 

 I may be remembering wrong but I kind of remember Segway originally being marketed as more of a commuter 'vehicle' for business people with short commutes. I

What killed segway was not only the high price but  cities outlawing it for use on most sidewalks. 

[LittleIggy]

Kittens don't take a long time to litter train. Their mom shows them how, plus it is instinctual. Anyway, I had to move in a short time last fall to take a job in my new career field, so I had to leave my two cats with my mother (I'll be seeing them later this summer!). Luckily, I can get my cat fix now at a visitor friendly cat adoption place (Cat's Cradle of VA) a block or so from where I live. If I didn't have that, I would go to a cat cafe but not for a $9 cover charge.

[roseha]

Wow.

 

Oh man do I wish he would have brought that up on the show. The ensuing comments from the sharks would have truly been Season Finale-worthy.

 

On further thought, the idea of square wheels on strollers sounds especially scary.

I remember an episode of Mythbusters in which Adam and Jamie tested a square wheeled vehicle and came to the conclusion that it was not an improvement.

[Lola16]

oh, dear. That's what I get for relying on closed-captioning! Cc read $79.99!!!

Sway dude said: seventy nine ninety nine.  Meaning 1 dollar short of 8 thousand but sounding like a penny short of 80 dollars. 

 

http://sway-motorsports.myshopify.com/collections/all

 

The elio is a car.  The advantage to me of a scooter is that I don't have to pay for a parking pass at my train station for a scooter.  That's $750 a year plus a lng waiting list.  The Sway is interesting but I'd take a Vespa as it's cheaper and looks better.

 

Cat cafe is cute but not investment ready.  She wants to open 1 location.  No talk of multiple locations or franchises.   There was an incident recently at a cat cafe in Colorado where a customer is suing because a cat bit her.  She was petting the cat, then the cat flopped on its back and showed its belly.  Now, I had a cat who did that --- it was a trick.  If you pet his fluffy white tummy, he'd sink his teeth and all 4 sets of claws into you.  So I wouldn't have pet a strange cat's belly but this woman did and the cat bit her.  It's a risk and I'd think insurance might be an issue.

[bilgistic]

It's always a trick! My 13- and 17-year-old cats pull that one. Never fall for it! Cute but deadly!

[nobodyyoucare]

The elio is not a car. Hence why you need a motocycle license and have to wear a helmet to ride in it.