5 Most Confusing Shark Tank Pitches
Highlights
- Shark Tank has offered viewers not just creative but confusing pitches through different seasons.
- Coco Taps, Busy Box, and Monosuit were puzzling because they focused on multiple aspects of the business.
- SilkRoll and RoloDoc faced harsh feedback from the Shark investors due to the entrepreneurs’ lack of clarity while answering questions.
Shark Tank has emerged as a breakthrough show for the wide range of ingenious ideas demonstrated through its countless pitches. Although innovation is hard to ignore, one cannot deny that Shark Tank entrepreneurs often come up with the most confusing pitches in different seasons.
While Shark Tank is currently witnessing a flood of pitches in its sixteenth season, the show has made it this far with not just the good pitches. The Shark investors have often found themselves puzzled due to some confusing ideas or lack of clarity with numbers related to businesses.
Below are the 5 most confusing pitches in Shark Tank’s history, along with a description of what went wrong with them, how the judges reacted, and the final deal status.
1. Monosuit
Aspiring entrepreneur Maria Agapkina made her appearance on Shark Tank Season 15 with Monosuit, a company offering one-piece jumpsuits. According to Maria, the suits were made using recyclable materials. She went to the Shark Tank judges seeking $150K for 5% equity.
In a musical pitch presentation, Maria highlighted three areas of her business. The first one was the use of recycled plastic to make ECONYL® regenerated yarn. The second one was aimed at Monosuit’s circular knitting process. The third one was its patented zipper technology, which allowed hidden zippers to open easily.
When discussing the inspiration behind the Monosuit, Maria stated that the ‘futuristic-looking suits’ were prepared out of the concept of interplanetary travel. She also added that both men and women could wear the suits.
How Did The Sharks React?
The pitch was immensely confusing for every Shark Tank panel member in the episode. Robert Herjavec and Mark Cuban were puzzled about which aspect it was catering to – fashion, technology, or eco-friendly. Kevin O’Leary and Barbara Corcoran thought that the Monosuit business was all over the place.
Pointing out these reasons, all the Shark investors made their way out of the Monosuit deal.
2. Busy Box
The entrepreneur duo of Steve Skillin and Conor Smith made their way to the judges on Shark Tank with Busy Box in the thirteenth season. They approached the Sharks seeking $200K for 15% equity. In one of the most confusing Shark Tank pitches, the duo stated that Busy Box offered ‘do not disturb’ signs in digital boxes.
The boxes were available in two different versions. The first one had six slide-in signs (such as ‘recording’ or ‘busy’). The second one was connected to an app and used to type custom messages. According to Steve and Conor, their prices were $299 and $199, respectively.
The entrepreneurs emphasized that their business was focused on the ‘work-from-home market.’ But then they added that they were looking to enter into the wellness space in the future, which was at a completely tangent from what they had been presenting till then.
How Did The Sharks React?
The Shark investors were not excited about the Busy Box pitch. Mark Cuban said that it called for clarity as the entrepreneurs were not focused on one element of the business. Robert Herjavec, too, stated the same because talking about ‘wellness’ was not in alignment with their current business model.
Citing similar reasons, all the panelists walked out of the deal, which made Steve and Conor walk out empty-handed.
3. SilkRoll
Erin Wold and Janet Wu tried their luck on Shark Tank Season 10 with SilkRoll, a clothing exchange for women that is completely digital. Seeking $250K for 3% equity, the entrepreneurs said that their idea was to solve the issue of unused clothing in the closets of women in America.
With SilkRoll, females could request a box, fill it with unwanted clothing, and earn points based on its value. Based on the points, they could then shop for clothing on the SilkRoll site and get new items shipped to them. Erin and Janet stated that the points denote a dollar value.
The entrepreneur duo added that even non-members could shop on SilkRoll provided that they paid a 7% service fee. Further, discussing about the company’s revenue model, the duo revealed that there was a 5% transaction fee along with the sale of points for anywhere between $25-$55.
How Did The Sharks React?
The Shark investors were hugely annoyed with the confusing pitch, particularly regarding the revenue model and point system of SilkRoll. They were further irritated on learning that it had made only $35K in total revenue. When the judges asked them about it, they used buzzwords like artificial intelligence, which annoyed them even more.
Ultimately, Erin and Janet exited without bagging a deal on Shark Tank.
4. Coco Taps
Vincent Zaldivar, an aspiring entrepreneur from Las Vegas, appeared in the ninth Shark Tank season with Coco Taps. The company offered a coconut tapping and re-sealing product, which was invented by Vincent himself. The entrepreneur came seeking $150K for 10% equity in Coco Taps.
During his Shark Tank appearance, Vincent explained how the product could drill a hole in coconuts, and then they were sealed to keep the water within sealed. Coco Taps was being offered in resorts in Las Vegas. Further, the company also offered a ‘business kit’ for juice bars to enable operators to develop their own coconut water.
Vincent claimed that 80% of the Coco Taps business came through the sale of pre-tapped coconuts to Las Vegas resorts. The remaining 20% came from the sale of Coco Taps business kits. He had come to Shark Tank for help with building inventory and establishing the branded coconut side of the business.
How Did The Sharks React?
The Shark Tank panel members were not impressed with the pitch as it was highly confusing for them. Mark Cuban opted out of the deal by saying that too many things were going on with Coco Taps. Guest Shark Rohan Oza, too, felt that Vincent needed more focus. Barbara Corcoran could work only for the tapping part.
At the end of the deal, Vincent failed to bag any offer from the Shark investors.
5. RoloDoc
An Arizona-based sibling duo of Albert and Richard Amini approached the investors on Shark Tank with RoloDoc in its fifth season. Both the entrepreneurs, who were also doctors, sought $50K for 20% equity in their company that offered a unique ‘social media app for physicians.’
According to Albert and Richard, their website was creating a physicians’ directory for patients so that information could be exchanged quickly. With this, doctors could ‘throw away’ their pagers and interact with patients and fellow doctors for better functioning. It was more like a ‘Facebook’ for doctors.
During the time of their appearance on Shark Tank, Rolodoc had a total of 50 users and the entire thing was still in its testing phase. The entrepreneurs added that the social media aspect could help doctors brand themselves.
How Did The Sharks React?
Each of the Shark Tank panelists was thoroughly confused during the entire pitch presentation. They were puzzled about how social media could bring any relevance to the medical field. Plus, when the Sharks inquired about the app security, Albert and Richard could not give a proper answer.
All of these reasons made the Shark investors lose interest in the pitch and they refused to propose a deal to the RoloDoc founders.
Conclusion
Through different seasons, Shark Tank has often shown that mere ideas cannot help entrepreneurs bag deals if clarity and focus are missing. All the five pitches discussed above demonstrated the entrepreneurs’ inability to communicate their ideas effectively, resulting in confusion, and ultimately missed opportunities.
The struggles of all the five entrepreneurs reiterate that for a Shark Tank pitch to be successful, it must be concise, clear, and have answers for Sharks’ potential questions.
References
- Here’s What Went Down With SilkRoll After Shark Tank, women.com, Bernadette Roe
- Mark Cuban Called This The Worst ‘Shark Tank’ Pitch Ever, Business Insider, Vivian Giang
Entrepreneur, auteur, raconteur. Rob Merlino is a blogger and writer who enjoys the Shark Tank TV show and Hot Dogs. A father of five who freelances in a variety of publications, Rob has a stable of websites including Shark Tank Blog, Hot Dog Stories, Rob Merlino.com and more.
Speak Your Mind