LifeBelt founder, Robert Allison, made his pitch on Shark Tank for $500,000 in funding to produce his seatbelt safety function, ensuring the driver has their seatbelt on. His device keeps automobiles from starting without wearing the seatbelt.
The Shark Tank investors loved LifeBelt, but backed off due to Robert Allison’s vision and strategy. They wanted to license LifeBelt to new car manufacturers where they can make the most money and get the biggest impact. Robert Allison thinks that it will take too long to get it into production. Instead, he wants to retail it.
Kevin Harrington had a huge problem with the evaluation at $500,000 for 10% of the company. Kevin O’Leary offered to buy the patent for $500,000 for 100% of the patent. When Robert Herjavec offered him a million dollars for 100% of the patent, he told him that he can call him once. Allison said no.
Kevin O’Leary came back by asking is there any number that will buy it. Robert Allison said there is “no amount of money that will buy it if you’re going to sit it on the shelf.”
Robert Allison said he wanted to get LifeBelt into as many cars as possible, but a quick check to the LifeBelt website reveals that you can’t buy the product online, so he’s not retailing it after all. I’m not even sure if it’s being sold now.
I did find an update from the show in 2010, where Robert Allison made a deal with one dealership in Houston, TX, The Gillman Automotive Group, which will offer the product to all of their customers. Unfortunately, a quick check to the Gillman Auto Group Website shows no signs of the LifeBelt product.
I investigated more, taking a look at the Facebook Fan page which shows zero promotion and minimal activity. That doesn’t bode well for telling the world about his product. Robert Allison claims licensing deals in a single post, but there are no press releases anywhere and no direction as to where customers can get the product. He does claim saving 17 lives.
Robert Allison is a very respectful, likable guy, who is well-meaning, but it’s now been several years towards the time it would have taken to get this product into the manufacturers supply lines.
Ultimately, making LifeBelt a national brand is not what is going to save lives. Getting it into the supply chain in new cars will save the most lives overall.
If you have information about LifeBelt, make sure you share it with us. We want Robert Allison and LifeBelt to be successful. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that LifeBelt is where Robert Allison wanted it to be.
I DEFINETLY WOULD NOT RECOMEND THE LIFEBELT DEVICE FOR CAR SEAT BELTS.
THE PRODUCT DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY ON RECENT MODEL CARS, THE CAR COMPUTER GETS CRAZY AND MANY LIGHTS TURN ON ON THE DASHBOARD.
AT ONE POINT THE CAR WOULD NOT START THE ENGINE ANYMORE UNTIL THE DEVICE WAS TAKEN OFF.
WHEN I ASKED ROBERT ALLISON FOR MY MONEY BACK, HE NEVER ANSWER AGAIN
WHAT A SCAMM¡¡
2 minutes ago – Edit – Delete
Interesting would seem to me the hook up would have needed to be changed Id like to have one for my son to hook up he is great at that type of thing . We do have lots of electronic s on cars now so you might have to come off fuse box on empty cell and do a energy electronic filter. Were did you get your product from? Email me back [email protected] Thank You and I hope this helps you=-) I think it would be a great product I no when I get in car I forget to put mine on and going down road I am struggling to get it on
where did you purchase it from? how much was it? i want to get one for my boyfriend and I but I don’t want it to destroy my car!! :/
Not true
It appears that there may already be a patent for a similar product issued before the Lifebelt Patent.
Lifebelt Patent
http://www.google.com/patents/US4755789
Earlier Patent
http://www.google.com/patents/US3359539
Its not the same product. Life belt is the best product I have ever seen & I have been in the automotive industry for 26 yrs and I am now the distributor for LIFEBELT in the US.
[email protected] Ken Ledbetter 251-214-7909
O man, he should’ve sold the patent for 1m…omg…what a weirdo
Not wrong when you know the product works and is worth a lot more than $1000000 in todays market.
where’s the website? the bodies are piling up on the highway
Putting on a seatbelt is common sense. People that don’t wear them know what can happen.
The mil was a good offer. Where is he now?
The guys a weirdo. $1000000????? Now where is he. Greed.
Shark Tank was a new show when he was on, his best bet would be to counter with a minimum 1% royalty with the sale.
It’s too bad people are so critical. The guy made a product that was near and dear to his heart. He should have taken the money, what is that to you? You’ve never made a mistake? How’s your marriage? Have you brought up your children perfectly? People make mistakes and unless your sinless, so have you. Rather than post your nasty opinion, think of the regrets you have. Might be better time spent….
I think this would be a great idea exp for teens . The way I drove as a teen with the Trans Am I had was just crazy & lucky no crashes. Now that im 45 I realized I was very lucky for being that stupid lol. Good luck on getting the top manufacture’s to bite & not steal the device or idea some how..Pce
Back in the mid 70’s automakers had something similar. If you did not buckle your seat belt and started to drive a buzzer would go sound and not go off until the seat belt was buckled over the drive. Of course this was easy to defeat. Had a 1974 American Motors Matador with it.
GM is now offering this as an option on newer model vehicles!
If you look up LifeBelt DO NOT click on the link. It will take you directly to a casino site. I have done some research and it seems LifeBelt is no longer up and running. The idea must have fizzled out. I think he should have taken the offer, not for the money, but for what they planned to do with it. They were going to get into the cars, which I think is a great plan on his part. However the whole calling part seemed a bit rude to me. It WAS something HE created, he should have gotten the chance to call about it every once in a while or at least receive an update on the process it was going through. That to me would seem better than one call and having to wait to seem if it ever comes out.
Very old idea. Had an MGB with this function, didn’t realize until I connected some loose wire under the seats and the car would not start. People don’t want this.
http://www.mgexperience.net/article/mgb/TSB/TSB%2014%20Pektron%20Seat%20Belt%20Interlock.pdf