Daniella Morgan-Pascualvaca, Anya Babbitt and Ben Saidman seek a deal for Mella, their innovative and non invasive pet thermometers, in Shark Tank episode 1517. Founded by Saidman and Babbitt in 2019, the company seeks to revolutionize the pet care industry. The thermometer is the first product. Coming soon are a body fat analyzer, pulse oximeter, and more.
The company’s named after Babbitt’s shih tzu mix, Mella. Mella got a bad case of kennel cough and nearly died. That’s when Babbitt thought about developing her product. It allows dog parents to take the dog’s temperature behind the dog’s foreleg – in the doggie armpit if you will. This is much less intrusive than a rectal thermometer and far more comfortable for the dog.
When paired with its accompanying app, it can store the data and even transmit it to your vet. The product is currently in clinical trials are ongoing at the University of Georgia and Cal Poly Pomona and they’ll publish a peer-reviewed study on its accuracy levels compared to a rectal thermometer. It costs $64.99 and you can buy it direct on the company website or on Amazon. They likely want a Shark’s cash to roll out their other products.
Company Information
Video
Posts about Mella on Shark Tank Blog
Mella Shark Tank Recap
Daniella, Anya and Ben enter the Shark Tank seeking $250,000 for 2.5% of their company. The Sharks audibly moan at the valuation. They ask the Sharks to imagine going to the doctor and having the doctor be unable to understand a single word you say and put you through outdated medical tests you did not agree to. What if the only way to take your temperature was by asking you to bend over? This is exactly what going to the vet is like for the 150 million dogs and cats nationwide. That’s why we need Mella.
Mella is the ecosystem of connected health care items for pets. Their smart thermometer uses machine learning to accurately take your pet’s temperature by painlessly placing it under the foreleg. Dogs and cats around the world will thank you. With the app, you can export the data to your vet before the next appointment. Their scale monitors weight and body fat percentage since dogs with healthy weights live 2 years longer on average. They have several other innovations in the works that will help pets live longer, healthier lives. They ask the Sharks: “who’s ready to face the future of pet care with Mella pet care?”
Samples and Questions
Ben performs a very bad rap about Mella before the Sharks ask questions and Kevin tells him not to give up his day job. Daniel asks about their relationship and backgrounds. Anya is a small town farm girl who moved to New York City and founded a company called Split which she subsequently sold. Ben was her first employee. They love technology and pets, so they decided to start Mella. Ben “poached” Daniella who was working as a vet tech. Since joing the company, instead of going to veterinary school, she’s getting her MBA at the University of Chicago.
The difference between a Mella thermometer and a human thermometer is there are other aspects to knowing the proper temperature for your pet.. When they first created their algorithm, they used millions of data points that determine the proper temperature for your pet: hair length, breed age, gender and more.
The Numbers
They’ve sold over 2500 devices at around $160,000 on the soft launch of the product with no marketing spend. They’re in almost 1000 veterinary clinics in just over a year. They launched in early 2022 and sell direct to vet and direct to consumer. They acquire vets at trade shows and by word of mouth. The Mella Pro costs $40 to make and they sell for $149. Lori likes the margins. Kevin says Basepaws, a company he and Robert invested in during season 10, was acquired for “a huge amount of money.” The reason they were acquired was for their data. He wants to know if Mella is collecting data and Ben says they’re the first to do it in home.
Mark says something is missing for him. He thinks they should be selling more. Anya says it’s the first ever thermometer in the world to take the temperature of a pet behind the leg. There are other digital thermometers out there but none that synch up to software like theirs. Mark gets what they’re trying to do but what makes him raise the red flag is they’ve been at it 16 months but only sold 2500 units. They’ve sold an additioonal 1600 units of the home version. Customer acquisition is $4 per customer.
Is Anybody In?
Kevin asks why sales are so low. Ben says they’ve only soft launched but they plan to have $500,000 in sales for the year and cash flow positive. Lori says it’s definitely a “better mousetrap,” but it’s too early for her; she’s out. Kevin wants to know if it’s a medical device company or a data company. If it was a data company, he’d be interested but he thinks it’s a device company; he’s out. Daymond says Kevin made money in this space and he goes out.
Mark wants to know what he’ll find for competition during due diligence. On the pro side, he’ll find post operative devices that cost thousands of dollars. On the consumer side there is nothing like it. Mark offers $250,000 for 6%. Daniel says he likes them and finds them credible and he was going to make a “Sharkier” offer than Mark; he’s out. Anya counters with 6% for $350,000 and Mark says “stick to the $250,000.” Mark says some of the shares can be advisory shares. Ben asks if Mark’s CostPlus Drugs is coming to pet care and Mark says they’re working on the software now. Ben says “we are too.” They take Mark’s deal.
Mella Shark Tank Update
The Shark Tank Blog constantly provides updates and follow-ups about entrepreneurs who have appeared on the Shark Tank TV show. As of the first re-run of this episode in June, 2024 – about 3 months after the original air date – Mark has not listed this company as an investment on his website (he’s a bit slow doing that sometimes). In a press release, Mark had this to say:
“I am excited to partner with Mella Pet Care and support their mission of improving the lives of pets and pet owners. “Their innovative product line aligns perfectly with the evolving needs of today’s pet-centric society. Together, we will disrupt the pet care industry and bring forth solutions that empower pet owners and enhance the well-being of our beloved four-legged friends.”
In the same press release, Anya had this to say:
“We are honored and elated to have received an investment closing our Shark Tank deal with Mark Cuban. His expertise, vision, network, and passion for pets and innovation will expedite the expansion of Mella’s product offerings reaching a broader customer base. With Mark’s support, we at Mella are confident in our ability to revolutionize pet care and make a positive impact in on the lives of pet owners and their furry companions.”
It looks like the deal closed. Whenever companies do a press release about a Shark Tank deal, it’s a good indicator the deal closed. We’ll just have to wait for Mark to update his website. Since the episode aired, the company got it’s products carried by Wal Mart, Vetcove, Chewy and Petstock. They also announced 3 new products in development: a bowl scale to measure your pet’s food intake, a chip reader for pets with embedded microchips and a Velcro strap that wraps around the hind leg of a pet to gather heart rate, oxygen saturation, and respiration rate.
The Shark Tank Blog will follow-up on Mella & Daniella Morgan-Pascualvaca, Anya Babbitt and Ben Saidman as more details become available.
