Sam Gherman seeks an investment for Da Vinci Eye, his smart phone art projector app, in Shark Tank episode 1517. Founded in 2018, the app uses your phone to project any image onto any surface. It uses Apple’s Vision Pro passthrough feature which enables users to superimpose transparent overlays of reference images onto any surface. Whether you want to draw on paper, paint on canvas, do a big mural on a wall or even decorate a cake, the app projects an image for the would-be artist to trace.
Available for both iOs and Android phones, the app is more useful with a phone stand to project the image. If you’re using Apple’s Vision Pro headset, you can keep visibility of your canvas while viewing a semi-transparent overlay of your reference image, for total precision and accuracy in your artwork. People also use it for art therapy, physical rehabilitation, and for individuals with visual impairments.
The app is $9.99 with an upgrade to the “pro” version for $26.99 (sometimes on sale for $19.99). The phone stand is $23. The company also sells art supplies and separate apps called Mural Maker and Doodle Grid. Sam says it’s just himself and one other person running the show at DaVici Eye. He likely wants a Shark’s cash to hire more people.
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Posts about Da Vinci Eye on Shark Tank Blog
DaVinci Eye: Revolutionary AR Art Projector App
Da Vinci Eye Shark Tank Recap
Sam enters the Shark Tank seeking $350,000 for 5% of his company. Drawing is hard. He says you picture a well done drawing in your mind, like the one of Mr. Wonderful on display. What comes out is more like the next picture he shows of a very poorly drawn Mr. Wonderful. It’s that kind of soul crushing disapointment that makes people’s passion for art disappear.
Davinci Eye makes augmented reality tools for visual artists. His projectors let people create art on surfaces as small as a cookie to as large as a canvas. You simply take a picture with your phone and it projects the image onto a surface; then you trace the image. His new tool, Mural Maker, will project images ontoo surfaces the size of a building. There’s also a feature that will turn any image into a step by step drawing tutorial.He uses a well drawn image of Daymond to show the results of using his tools. He asks “who wants to make a multi million dollar masterpiece with Davinci Eye?”
Trying It Out
He invites Daniel onstage to try it out. He’s tracing a picture of Mark Cuban in a graduation cap. He launched it when he was learning to code so it would be like a camera obscura to help with his own art and had 50,000 in the first 5 weeks. Unfortunately, those downloads didn’t translate into sales. Daniel’s drawing isn’t terrible and he put a moustache on Mark.
After launching the app in 2016, he tried to get investors. He knew he needed a little bit of money to get it started so he could perfect it and it could take off. Nothing happened with investors. In 2020 he still had no sales but he was furloughed from his job. For three months, he took feedback from users and refined the app. In June, 2020, he started making sales. He finished the year with $450,000 in sales. In January, 2021, Sam and his girlfriend quit their jobs and moved in together and worked on the business full time. That month, they did $200,000 in sales and were the number 2 paid app in the app store. They finished the year with $820,000 in sales. In 2022, he did $860,000 and in 2023 they switched to a subscription model. Daymond doesn’t like the way Sam is answering the questions and goes out. Sales to date in 2023 are $1.2 million.
Is Anybody In?
Kevin says the growth issue is the growth issue. Kevin asks what he’ll make on $1.2 million in sales. He says about $410,000 before they pay themselves. Customer acquisition is around 10-21 cents as they’ve shifted to more organic social media. Mark says it’s not adding up. With customer acquisition so low, he should be able to get more subscribers; he’s out. Lori says it’s been a confusing pitch. She thinks Sam is a nice guy but she’s out. Daniel is happy for Sam that he’s found his passion, but the numbers were murky for him; he’s out. Kevin says $1 million in sales isn’t poo poo. He says if he gives him the $350,000 he gets the app for free then sits around and draws pictures of money he doesn’t have anymore. Kevin says it’s not interesting; he’s out.
Da Vinci Eye Shark Tank Update
The Shark Tank Blog constantly provides updates and follow-ups about entrepreneurs who have appeared on the Shark Tank TV show. Since airing, the new Mural Maker app was released as was another app called doodle grid that “that simplifies the way you transfer and scale your artwork.” The company finished 2023 with close to $2 million in sales and was selling $10,000 a day in the app store in 2024. This puts DaVinci Eye on track to do $3.6 million in sales for 2024.
The Shark Tank Blog will follow-up on Da Vinci Eye & Sam Gherman as more details become available.
