Highlights
- Liz Charm and Jordan Long seek $200,000 for 8% equity in Surprise Cake, a cake stand that reveals a hidden gift when triggered, creating a memorable surprise for special occasions.
- Despite their energetic presentation, the Sharks express concerns about the duo’s focus and scalability, ultimately deciding not to invest.
- Post-Shark Tank, Surprise Cake continues to thrive, expanding its product line and shipping customizable surprise cakes, with annual revenue reaching $1-$2 million as of July 2024.
Overview
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | Surprise Cake |
| Founders | Liz Charm & Jordan Long |
| Industry | Party & Event Products |
| Product | Cake stand with a pop-up gift feature |
| Funding | Seeking $200,000 |
| Investment Ask | $200,000 |
| Equity Offered | 8% |
| Valuation | $2.5 million |
Mother/son team Liz Charm and Jordan Long hope the Sharks take a slice out of Surprise Cake, their cake stand that pops a sealed vessel for gifts out of a cake, in Shark Tank episode 1205. Charm came up with the concept for her daughter’s 12th birthday. She sealed a new cell phone inside a plastic bag and put it between layers of the cake. When her daughter blew out the candles, the cake started ringing. They cut the cake to reveal the gift and it was a big hit.
Since food safety rules don’t allow placing gifts inside a cake, she turned to her son Jordan (an engineer) to come up with a solution. What they came up with was a cake stand that gave the illusion of a gift popping out of the cake. They also added music to the popping stand. When you hit a special trigger attached to the stand, up pops the gift cylinder – just like a Jack in the Box.
Each Surprise Cake Stand comes with a special corer to cut a perfect hole for the gift cylinder. They recommend getting a cake with no decorations in the center and getting some extra frosting to cover the top of the cylinder. You can get a stand with a plate if you want to stack cupcakes too. Since the stand is spring loaded, it requires no batteries. It’s reusable and hand washable too.
The basic stand costs $37, but the most popular item is the stand with the music box trigger and cupcake plate for for $68. The products are in stock on Amazon and ready to ship. Liz and Jordan likely want a Shark’s cash and help with cutting manufacturing costs. Will a Shark want a piece of this business?
Company Information
Video
Posts about Surprise Cake on Shark Tank Blog
The Surprise Cake – Jack in the Box Cake Stand
Surprise Cake Shark Tank Recap
Liz and Jordan enter the Tank seeking $200,000 for 8% of their business. They make quite a splash, jumping out of a life-sized cake. Unfortunately, that was the high point of their pitch. The Sharks unilaterally think the duo isn’t focused enough to make the company good for an investor. All the Sharks decline to make an offer and they leave with no deal.
Surprise Cake Shark Tank Update
The Shark Tank Blog constantly provides updates and follow-ups about entrepreneurs who have appeared on the Shark Tank TV show. Even though they did not get a deal, the company continues to sell product. They are very active on their social media pages and it appears they’ll continue to do business for quite some time. The company also added cake stands and cake carrying kits to their line.
In the spring of 2022, they began shipping cakes direct to recipients. The 4 inch cakes come in a box that, when opened, shoots confetti out, You can pick from a dozen different flavors for the cakes and customize the box with photos, handwritten phrases, gift cards, champagne, stuffed animals and more. They start at $54.99 and go up as you customize. All Surprise Cakes ship next day air. As of July, 2024, annual revenue is $1-$2 million and the company’s net worth is $3.5 million.
