Maria Shriver and her (and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s) son Patrick Schwaarzenegger pitch Mosh, their plant based protein bars, in Shark Tank episode 1522, the season 15 finale. Shriver likes protein bars but the ones she ate often gave her headaches and upset her stomach. The mother/son team created their protein bars to promote brain health as well. They developed the bars at home during the Covid-19 shutdown.
Promoting brain health is a big part of Mosh’s mission. Maria’s dad passed away from Alzheimer’s disease in 2011 after an 8 year battle with the disease. 1% of the company’s proceeds got to Alzheimer’s research. In addition to Patrick, his siblings Katherine, Christopher and Christina are involved with the business.
Each bar contains Vitamin B12, Vitamin D3, Lion’s Mane, Ashwagandha, Collagen, Omega 3’s and collagen. A 12 pack will set you back $35 but you can save 20% if you opt for their subscription. What Maria and Patrick are doing on Shark Tank is beyond me. Maria says it was a “bucket list” item for her son, but they sure don’t need the cash or the ability to “open doors” like most Shark Tank entrepreneurs.
Company Information
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Mosh Shark Tank Recap
Maria and Patrick enter the Shark Tank and introduce themselves as mother and son. Patrick says “we’re also business partners.” They say Mosh is a protein bar made specifically for your brain. Each bar is loaded with 12-13 grams of protein and ingredients that support a healthy brain like Omega-3s, vitamin b-12, vitamin D-3, Lion’s Mane and Ashwagandha. They’re also non GMO, gluten-free, high in fiber and so much more.
They are delicious, nutritious and a mission driven company. They give back to Alzheimer’s research, a cause near and dear to them. Maria’s father was diagnosed in 2003 and passed away in 2011. Since 2003, Maria has been trying to find a cure for the disease which has impacted millions of people. They ask the Sharks for $500,000 for a 2% stake in their business.
Samples and Questions
The Sharks dig in to their samples. Candace likes the taste and texture of the lemon flavored bar. All the Sharks are enjoying their samples. Maria says they started with protein bars because she’s a protein bar fanatic. When Maria got involved with Alzheimer’s research 20 years ago, nobody believed lifestyle had anything to do with it. Now they say up to 50% of cases could be prevented due to lifestyle choices. She says Alzheimer’s disproportionately affects women. That’s why they fund woman based Alzheimer’s research, to find out why. Two thirds of Alzheimer’s cases are women and two thirds of the caregivers are women, so it’s a huge women’s issue.
Kevin questions the $25 million valuation. Patrick says in 2 years they’ve done $10 million in online sales. This year (2023) they expect $7 million and next year (2024) they project $11 million. Despite these figures, they aren’t profitable but Patrick says if they turned off their “marketing machine,” they’d be profitable tomorrow. They’re spending $100,000 a month on marketing.
More Numbers
Each bar costs 93 cents to make and the average retail price is $2.99. Last month they did $675,000 in sales. They spent $150,000 in marketing, but they have over 11,000 subscribers. Patrick and Maria run the company together and have 5 full time employees. They don’t take salaries and they put in over $1 million of their own money into the company. They raised another $1.5 million from friends and family and $4 million from “other people.”
Candace sees the vision and loves the mission but she’s having trouble with the “staggering valuation.” She wants to know how she’ll see a return as an investor. Patrick says they’ll do over $7 million for the year. Their plan is to go into retail in a big way – that’s why they’re in the Tank.
Who’s In?
Kevin doesn’t think they’re worth $25 million and he doesn’t like the retail strategy. Getting shelf space is brutal. Maria says they’re in 9 stores testing with their most popular bars and she doesn’t agree with Kevin’s assessment of retail. Kevin can’t get there; he’s out. Mark loves the mission, but the protein bar space is too competitive; he’s out. Daymond says they need to do half a billion in sales for him to see a return and he doesn’t know how long that will take; he’s out. Candace loves the mission but not the protein bar space; she’s out.
Lori loves what they’re doing, but she has the same challenges as her fellow Sharks. Patrick says they want to be a brain health company. The goal is to have other products. 90% of their customers come to them for the brain health attributes. Maria’s dad was the smartest person she knew. He started the Peace Corps, The War on Poverty, the Job Corps, Head Start and a slew of programs that exist to this day. To watch a man with a brain like that not know who she was made it her mission to understand what is happening in his brain. She wants the world to know about brain health.
Lori says she likes to close deals and open doors. She likes the idea of a brain health company. Lori offers $500,000 for 6%. Patrick counters with 3.5% and Lori says she’ll do 5%. Patrick counters again with 3.5% plus 1% in advisory shares. Lori says they’re off a half a percent and she’s worth it. Patrick asks if she’ll go up on the cash. Lori stands firm and they accept her deal.
Mosh Shark Tank Update
The Shark Tank Blog constantly provides updates and follow-ups about entrepreneurs who have appeared on the Shark Tank TV show. Maria and Patrick took a lot of heat after the show aired as did the show’s producers. After all, they come from a wealthy background. One Reddit participant said “They may very well have a viable and beneficial product, but a celebrity family with a TON of money and connections taking up time on what is, in theory, a show that gives resources to small business owners who need a leg up just feels soooo tone-deaf and selfish.” Another fan Tweeted “I genuinely want to know why Patrick Schwarzenegger went on #SharkTank asking for $500,000 when his dad has a net worth of $450 million.”
In early July, 2024, the company re-vamped its packaging to stand out better on store shelves. They also added nootropic Cognizin for attention and focus support. According to a company press release, Cognizin “is a clinically studied and branded form of citicoline, a natural substance made endogenously in the body and particularly vital to brain health.”
The Shark Tank Blog will follow-up on Mosh & Maria Shriver and Patrick Schwaarzenegger as more details become available.
