Rob Merlino: Blogger, Writer, Entrepreneur & Foodie

GoGo Gear is an entrant into the Shark Tank Friday night. I am a fan of the show because I’m an entrepreneur and, like most fans, I like to watch the Sharks go at it. I already reviewed GoGoGear earlier this week, but another reason I am interested in this entrepreneur is I am a scooter […]

Beer infused premium ice cream sounds like a the merger of two polar opposite food items; in fact, my first reaction is one of disgust. The Brewer’s Cow of Old Lyme, Connecticut scoops its way into the Shark Tank this week.  Steve Albert, Brewer’s Cow president and his partners, have been making their beer infused premium ice cream […]

Portable Pet Meals by Barkem’s is the latest pet related business to take a swim in the Shark Tank. What exactly is a portable pet meal? According to the Barkem’s website, portable pet meals are:  “a pre-packaged meal suited just for your pet. Contained in separate compartments inside a recyclable, single use container is: one […]

The AVE Venice is a funky, fun “custom everything” shop located in Venice, California. As the second LA area entrant in the Shark Tank this week, they hope to land a deal to take their worldwide custom printing empire to the next level. The AVE Venice prints custom tee shirts, which is nothing new under the […]

GoGo Gear, a Los Angeles based maker of protective, armored, abrasion resistant riding gear and accessories for men and women, scoots into the Shark Tank this Friday. According to the GoGo Gear website, GoGo Gear creator, Arlene Battishill, was recently selected as one of the 100 Top Influencers in the LA Fashion Industry by the Fashion […]

Miso Music made a big splash in the Shark Tank last night when Mark Cuban offered $300k for 8% and company founder and CEO Aviv Grill accepted. In an innovative pitch, Ingrid Michaelson came on to play a song after Mr. Grill demonstrated the app by “learning” one of her songs. The Miso Music Shark Tank Episode […]

Profender is the basketball training tool introduced on The Shark Tank Episode 305 last week. I spoke with Profender inventor Tony Devine recently to get his take on his appearance. Tony is a Special Education teacher and basketball coach. He has coached basketball at pretty much every level from youth ball all the way up to […]

Rick Hopper, founder of Specsecure by ReadeREST is the brainchild inventor that connected with Lori Greiner. He’s been tinkering with one thing or another since he was a kid. His latest invention is one of the big success stories on The Shark Tank this season. I rarely scream at the TV, but when my favorite shark, Lori […]

ShowNo founder, Shelly Ehler very graciously sent a ShowNo Towel to my home for my 7 year old. Little Miss is on a swim team for most of the year, so this ShowNo will see a lot of duty. The ShowNo Towel and Shelly Ehler return to the Shark Tank this Saturday night on ABC for […]

The Smart Baker is the place to buy measurement conversion products, pre-cut parchment paper, and re-usable cupcake towers. I spoke with Daniel Rensing today, half of the husband and wife team behind The Smart Baker. They were recently funded by Barbara Corcoran on The Shark Tank. Or so I thought. It seems that the deal […]

Shelly Ehler, the California mom, ex-teacher, and entrepreneur who had one of the most successful Shark Tank pitches to date will have another whack at Prime Time when her episode re-runs on a special Saturday night addition of Shark Tank.  Shelly Ehler is the creator of the ShowNo Towel, the poncho-like towel that allows kids […]

Kisstixx is the lip balm product recently funded by Mark Cuban on The Shark Tank. It’s a two pack of flavored lip balms that create a chemical reaction when two people kiss. Entrepreneurs Dallas Robinson and Mike Buonomo are two young guys who met in college and developed Kisstixx  to protect their lips while snowboarding […]

Jared Joyce knows the Shark Tank has developed a huge audience. What makes the Shark Tank so appealing to so many people? I like the abrupt and sometimes borderline viciousness of the Sharks. The banter amongst the panel of Sharks is one of the reasons people watch the show, but it’s the entrepreneurs who make or […]

I spoke with Shelly Ehler of ShowNo, the entrepreneur who made Shark Tank history by being funded on the spot when her segment aired. My favorite Shark wrote her a check and agreed to help Shelly bring her business to new heights. Shelly’s product, The ShowNo has received a lot of press and Shelly herself […]

Just several weeks after the Wine Balloon debuted, another wine product finds its way into the Shark Tank; it’s called The Vinamor Wine Aerator. There is not much “out there” about this product, was invented by Gary DeJohn (the “contact” tab on the Vinamor website points to his Facebook page). Vinamor Wine Aerator lets wine breathe […]

Tower Paddle Boards founder Stephan Aarstol may already be swimming with sharks as he paddles around on one of his paddle boards near his retail shop in San Diego, but not the kind of sharks that are in the Shark Tank.  Stephan Aarstol opened Tower Paddle Boards in 2010 due to his keen observation that “Paddle boards” […]

Nick LaRosa & Penilopee LaRosa will be diving into the Shark Tank this Friday night to pitch their product called Instant Lifts. What this product does is remove the appearance of cellulite and wrinkles on the legs, arms, and even the tummy. The Instant Lifts website is loaded with “before and after” pictures which show some pretty […]

Miso Music is the second technology centric entrant into the Shark Tank this week. It’s an app that teaches you how to play music! Miso Music, part of Miso Media,  is the brainchild of Mr. Aviv Grill and his partners, Joselle Ho and Ryan Tsukamoto. Mr. Grill’s dad was a recording engineer and his mom was an […]

I predicted Litter Jewelry would not get funded on last night’s Shark Tank. That was Monday’s prediction. On Tuesday, I learned from a reliable source their website was to be re-launched Thursday night in anticipation of the show and the web traffic that would ensue. That information made me change my mind, but I opted […]