Highlights
- Justin Krandel and Bart Lamont seek $500,000 for 5% equity in Robin, a robotic lawn care service with hybrid maintenance solutions.
- The Sharks raise concerns about scaling and valuation.
- Robin was later acquired, rebranded as MowBot, and now earns $7.3 million in annual revenue.
Overview
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | Robin (rebranded to MowBot) |
| Founders | Justin Krandel, Bart Lamont |
| Industry | Lawn Care, Robotics |
| Product | Robotic lawn mowers with additional landscape services |
| Funding | No deal |
| Investment Ask | $500,000 |
| Equity Offered | 5% |
| Valuation | $10 million |
Justin Krandel and Bart Lamont want to mow down a Shark and get one to invest in Robin, their robotic lawn care service, in Shark Tank episode 912. The pair are owners of a Dallas area landscape business. When they encountered delays due to weather and workers not showing up for work, they looked for solutions. Their answer was robots.
Robotic lawn mowers aren’t new. In Europe, they’re a $500 million business. Companies like John Deere, Honda, Husqvarna, and Bosch all manufacture robot lawn mowers, but US sales are lackluster at best. Krandel and Lamont found a “hybrid” solution to the problem. They install their Robin mowers at customers’ homes and provide edging and trimming services on top of mowing.
While Robin mowers aren’t proprietary, they are customized and branded for them by robotic mower manufacturers. The “secret sauce” for their business involves a common obstacle for robotic mowers” fences. They have a patent on the door they install that allows the robo-mower to navigate through fences without compromising security.
The mowers themselves run similar to a Roomba robotic vacuum. Robin hopes to franchise the concept of a robotic mower assisted landscape service as a means to grow their business. They also want to re-sell their branded robo-mowing system. They likely want a Shark to help fuel expansion. Will a Shark want “mow” of this business concept?
Robin Company Information
Video
Posts About Robin on Shark Tank Blog
Robin Shark Tank Recap
Justin and Bart enter the Tank seeking $500,000 for 5% of their company. They tell their story and give their pitch. Then a robo-mower comes out and does its thing. It’s powered by a docking station which it returns to automatically. Each machine costs $1700-$1900 and homeowners pay $17 a week to have the service. Calling themselves “the Uber of lawns,” they say they’ve raised $3 million, but had a loss of $1 million last year as they’ve “been spending aggressively.” They say they can get profitable by not spending so much.
Did Robin Get A Deal?
Lori is the first Shark out stating she sees it more as a product than a service. Mark thinks it will take a lot of money to scale; he’s out. Richard doesn’t like the valuation and he goes out. Robert is next out, even though he likes their sales numbers. Daymond is the last Shark out and it’s no deal.
Robin Shark Tank Update
The Shark Tank Blog constantly provides updates and follow-ups about entrepreneurs who have appeared on the Shark Tank TV show. In July, 2019, the company was acquired by The Fahey Group, an Ohio-based holdings group. The company unveiled a new guidance system in September, 2020 that makes it easier for the robots to maneuver in tight spaces. In December, 2020, they entered into a partner agreement with TurfBot Mowing, a lawn care franchise.
The focus of the company is to sell to landscape companies using RaaS (Robots as a Service). They brought on 40 landscaping companies in 2020. In 2021 they plan to sell to 150 mid-market landscapers and install 1000 residential units. As of August, 2022, they re-branded to “MowBot.” As of August, 2023, the company was earning $7.3 million in annual revenue.
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