SandCloud

Bruno Aschimanini, Steven Ford, and Brandon Leibel pitch SandCloud, their line of plush beach towels with built-in pillows, in Shark Tank episode 818. The three young men started their business with a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2014 that raised $15,623. A portion (10%) of sale proceeds go to organizations that preserve and protect marine life and habitats.

The towels are large – 38 × 68″ – and made from 100% Turkish cotton. A pillow insert in each towel gives beach-goers added comfort while lying in the sand. The guys built their brand through Instagram and Snapchat and they rely on their over 10,000 ambassadors to help them spread the word.

In addition to towels, SandCloud sells large beach blankets, jewelry and apparel. They’re creating a beach lifestyle brand, one towel at a time. Standard towels cost $47 each and their other products vary in price. You can order products on Amazon and from their website.

They likely want a Shark to help them get into retail outlets. Will a Shark want to hit the beach with this business.

SandCloud Shark Tank Recap

Bruno, Steven, and Brandon will pitch the panel of five Sharks on the business and its prospects for growth. They’ll need to convince Mark Cuban, Daymond John, Kevin O’Leary, Lori Grenier, and Robert Herjavec that the company is worthy of a Shark investment.

The Sharks were all impressed with SandCloud’s sales. In 2016, they did $2.4 million! Ultimately, Robert decided to invest $200,000 in exchange for 15 percent of the business. Herjavec liked the product and the numbers, but he liked the guys and their vision just as much.

SandCloud Shark Tank Update

The Shark Tank Blog constantly provides updates and follow-ups about entrepreneurs who have appeared on the Shark Tank TV show.

In the immediate aftermath of their show, the company website saw 13,000 hits in one day. The previous high was just 600. Sand Cloud used their Shark Tank investment to improve the website and increase inventory. With Robert’s help, they are on track to do over $7 million in sales. They plan on donating nearly $1 million to marine related non-profit organizations.

In an update segment in episode 914 we find out the company did $7 million in sales since appearing. The guys are shown at a beach clean up the company funded with Robert as their guest.

In February, 2020, the company appeared in The Shark Tank Greatest of All Time Special in the “Greatest Businesses with a Social Cause” segment. Video from the beach cleanup mentioned above is used in the segment.

As of May, 2021, they’ve added hats, backpacks, stickers, pins, leggings, and more to their line. They opened their own brick and mortar store in Venice, California and their products are available in more than 1400 beach shops nationwide. As of November, 2023, annual rvenue is $7 million.