Rob Merlino: Blogger, Writer, Entrepreneur & Foodie

Vade means “to vanish” in Latin and that’s what this product does. The protein powder pods are the creation of former MSU wrestler Joe Johnson and his wife – a former Arizona State cheerleader, Meghan. They’re a couple of athletes and they keep in great shape. They also drink a lot of protein shakes at […]

About three years ago, Kristopher Quiaoit and Victor Macias experimented and baked “perfect” keto cookies. Since they wanted to try the keto diet without giving up cookies, they wanted a good substitute. The guys actually spent a whole week eating nothing but their keto cookies to see if they would work. They did. While they […]

Lock Straps are a new take on the tie down. Tie downs are straps that allow you to keep things attached to your roof rack, truck bed or trailer tightly so they don’t move around. They work great for securing things, but they don’t keep them secure. Inventor Jeff Cranny found that out the hard […]

 Adam Callinan and Matt Campbell invented Bottle Keeper to keep their bottled beer cold while in warm climates. This simple idea came about while drinking beer in a hot tub with their uncle. The beer, poured into plastic cups to avoid broken glass in the hot tub, was warm. The guys (and I) think warm […]

Scratch golfer and inventor Eben Dobson enters with his Wisp Broom, the first innovation of the broom in nearly 100 years. He got the idea for the product from an earlier invention of his: a bristle brush for cleaning off golf greens. The Wisp Broom has stiff, bristle like “hairs” that are closely packed together to […]

Reward Stock is like a stock market for travel miles. Miles, or points, are perks given out by credit card companies and airlines that reward travelers for loyalty. They get redeemed for free travel. For people who travel a lot for business, miles are an added employment benefit. When people have multiple credit cards and […]

Kombucha is the latest food fad for the health food crowd. It’s a fermented tea, made from bacteria and yeast mixed with black or green tea and sugar. People first made it in China over 2000 years ago. What makes it so trendy these days is it helps with digestion and the immune system. The natural […]

Cousins Morgan and Arley Sarner invented the Hand Bag Rain Coat to protect their expensive fashion hand bags. With some handbags costing thousands of dollars, like Louis Vitton Handbags, they are an item people want to protect! The two cousins love going into New York City and flashing their fashion, and that includes pricey designer […]

Josh and Steve King, a father and son entrepreneurial team, introduce the Sharks to ManScaped, their “manscaping” products for men, in episode 1004. Man Scaped specifically makes products for grooming “below the belt.” The company mission is “caring for your crotch.” Their products includes the Crop Cleanser, a wash; the Preserver, an anti-chafing moisturizer; the […]

Holly Heath and Billie Cavallaro pitch Cave Shakes, their vegan meal replacement shakes, in Shark Tank episode 1004. Cave Shakes use coconut milk as its base ingredient. They’re drinkable at room temperature, but when you chill them, they thicken to a near ice cream consistency. In addition to coconut milk, Cave Shakes contain natural sugars, stevia, salt, […]

ButterCloth founder Danh Tran started designing his own clothes at age ten. He learned while working in his family’s small tailor shop in Viet Nam as a child. In 1994, he came to the USA to go to school at the Otis College of Design. After he graduated, he spent the next 20 years as a fashion […]

Chelsea and John Pinto look for the sweet smell of success when they pitch BoomBoom , their portable aromatherapy energy inhaler, in Shark Tank episode 1004. Boom Boom inhalers are about the size of a Vicks inhaler. Each tube is infused with menthol,  “essential oils and stimulating scents.” Basically you shove the inhaler up your […]

Mother/daughter “souptrepreneurs” Marilyn and Sara Polon want a super deal for Souper Girl, their super fresh soup business. They’ve been making soup in the greater Washington DC area since 2008 and they’ve become quite the toast of the town. They started small  as a web-based soup service, then grew to a take-out store in Takoma. They […]

When chef Guy Vaknin founded the first Beyond Sushi vegan sushi restaurant in 2012, he didn’t know he’d be fare for the carnivorous Sharks six years later. Vaknin is the first vegan restaurant to appear in the Tank and he hopes he’ll “give the vegan food movement a national spotlight.” Chef Vaknin pitches his vegan sushi […]

Dmitri Love hopes his Bundil App will catch the Shark’s attention when he pitches it in episode 1002. Bundil works like other “spare change” apps: you link a credit or debit card to the app and it “rounds up” purchases, depositing the extra change into an investment account. There are several well known apps – […]

Erin Robertson made her first Ta Ta Towel after agonizing about breast sweat during a date. That must have been some date. It seems her breasts are on the large side and, when it’s particularly hot, they get a lot of moisture where they hang down. So she brainstormed about how to solve the problem […]

Myles and Tyson Walters pitch the Shed Defender to the Sharks in episode 1003. Normally, I try to put a positive spin on the products that are on Shark Tank, but I’m having a tough time with the Shed Defender. Tyson owns a Saint Bernard and the dog sheds – a lot. Just about everything […]

Keisha Jeremie wants grown ups to eat applesauce, specifically her Sanaia Applesauce. Jeremie grew up making applesauce like snacks out of native tamarind in the Caribbean. When she moved to the states to attend school, she started making applesauce from green apples in her dorm room at the University of Virginia. Her dorm mates loved […]

It took a dislocated shoulder for Nathan Day to invent the LugBug, a universal baby seat handle that’s ergonomically correct. Day pitches his product, a sturdy plastic handle that clips onto any baby seat, in Shark Tank episode 1003. Baby seats and carriers are designed with the safety of babies in mind, not necessarily the […]

Brad Ruffkess hopes Box Lock is to package delivery as Ring is to door bells. Ruffkess introduces his smart lock in Shark Tank episode 1001. The product tackles a growing problem: porch pirates that steal packages. As many as half of all packages delivered in urban areas get stolen each year. That causes a lot […]

Emma Cohen and Miles Pepper created FinalStraw to bring attention to the problem of plastic waste in our oceans. They’re also keen on making a profit. The message they bring to the season ten premier of Shark Tank is one of both conservation and profit. Profits aren’t likely going to be a problem, the pair […]

Tripp Phillips, with some help from his father Lee, invented LeGlue at age ten. He wanted to solve a problem: his LEGO projects kept falling apart on him. If you are a LEGO aficionado, you know it can take hours – or even days – to complete a project. One accidental bump or drop can […]

Heidi and Cory Santiago pitch Corey’s invention, the Bear Minimum, in the season ten premier of Shark Tank. Their product is a play on words that hints at both the outdoor uses and its small size. The Bear Minimum is a folding cooking pot for taking on the go. It literally folds into a wallet […]

After moving to Sundays and losing viewers for a second consecutive season, people are wondering if there will be a Shark Tank season ten. Ratings peaked for the entrepreneurial reality show in season six with 9 million viewers. Since then, they’ve been declining. In season 8, the show only managed to get 6 million viewers. […]