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Shark Tank: Jiggy Puzzles, The Scrubbie, The Bumbling Bee, and XTorch

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Guest Shark, Daniel Lubetzky, joined fellow Shark investors Lori Greiner, Mark Cuban, Kevin O’Leary, and Robert Herjavec in the Shark Tank to hear pitches from four companies hoping to land a strategic business investor. Jiggy Puzzles, The Scrubbie, The Bumbling Bee, and XTorch presented compelling pitches to the Sharks, however, only one of them would persuade the Sharks to invest in their company. Although the Sharks felt that all of the businesses had merit, only Jiggy Puzzles left the Shark Tank with a partnership deal. Read on to learn more!

Jiggy Puzzles Partners with Mark Cuban

New York City native, Kaylin Marcotte, hit the market at the right time with her jigsaw puzzle company, Jiggy Puzzles. In an effort to support emerging female artists from around the world while providing an outlet for consumers to unwind from mental and physical stress, Jiggy Puzzles feature unique designs which can then be converted into completed works of art that can be glued and displayed. A percentage of every sale goes directly to the featured artists, empowering up-and-coming creatives, allowing them to showcase their art around the world.

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    Launching in 2020, Jiggy Puzzles was predicted to end their first year in excess of $2,000,000 in sales. Hoping to find a partner that will help to capitalize on their early success, Kaylin is looking for a Shark to help grow and expand the company, possibly to a subscription model. Kaylin is seeking a Shark willing to invest $500,000 in exchange for 5% equity in Jiggy Puzzles. Although Kevin O’Leary was interested and extended Kaylin an offer, she pivoted and reached out directly to Mark Cuban. Mark agreed to invest $500,000 in exchange for 15% equity in the company. As part of their deal, Mark will match their non-profit donations from 2020.

    The Scrubbie Brings Heat From the Sharks

    Matt Hosey, Jeff Dakin, and Tyler Kessler came to the Shark Tank in hopes of landing a partner willing to invest $100,000 in exchange for 10% equity in their company, The Scrubbie. Their universal cleaning attachment can easily pair with various types of kitchen sprayers for indoor use and garden hoses for outdoor use. The device features a scrubbing sponge that can be flipped depending on soil level and job-specific needs to provide additional abrasive power. The sponge attachments are easily replaceable and are offered as a subscription model.

    With very low lifetime sales, and branding that looks very similar to Scrub Daddy, the Sharks are very concerned about The Scrubbie piggybacking on the success of Scrub Daddy, another one of Lori Greiner’s investments. They also do not like the design of the product and feel that it is not an aesthetically pleasing product. Because the trio is also incredibly evasive in answering their questions, the Sharks are in agreement that there is not a good investment path forward for them and The Scrubbie. Matt, Jeff, and Tyler leave the Shark Tank without a deal from the Sharks.

    The Bumbling Bee Receives Praise But No Investment Offers

    Mother and daughter duo, Cassandra and India Ayala, are looking to expand their vegan, fast-food restaurant idea. The Bumbling Bee has two brick-and-mortar locations as well as several food trucks which feature plant-based junk food options. They are looking to partner with a Shark who is willing to invest $150,000 in exchange for 10% of the company and will help them to grow to additional locations. Impressed with the taste of the food, the Sharks were not surprised to learn that The Bumbling Bee was projecting to close 2020 at $324,000 in sales.

    Although India and Cassandra feel that that they have a specific niche in the market, the Sharks are seeing very similar companies popping up in California. Because there is nothing proprietary about what The Bumbling Bee is doing, there is not much to prevent other companies from doing what they are doing. The Sharks do not feel that the company is in a place that makes sense to invest in right now. The Sharks decline to extend an offer to The Bumbling Bee but are very impressed with Cassandra and India as business owners.

    XTorch Turns Down an Offer From Robert Herjavec

    While on a trip to Africa, husband and wife, Gene and Keidy Palusky, found a need for a lighting device that can last for prolonged periods of time. Determined to design something that could be solar charged, in use for hours at a time, and also be used to charge mobile devices in remote locations, Gene and Keidy used the deficits of their lighting competition to solution a better and more robust product. Seeking $150,000 in exchange for 10% equity in XTorch, Gene and Keidy are hoping to secure a Shark who can help them sell directly to consumers in their homes, offices, and camping environments.

    While the Sharks like the product and feel that it has merit, they are very concerned that the Paluskys do not have a patent. This means there is nothing stopping other companies from knocking off the product and undercutting them in the market. The Sharks are also concerned that they do not know how to sell their product to everyday people yet. Although none of the Sharks were interested in investing in XTorch, Robert Herjavec was interested in buying the entire company from Gene and Keidy. Offering $500,000 for 100% of the company, Robert feels that he could make marketing shifts that would allow the product to be better sold directly to consumers. Unwilling to give up that much equity, Gene and Keidy decline Robert’s offer and leave the Shark Tank without a deal.

    If you were a Shark, which of these companies would you have invested in? Do you think that the Sharks missed out by not partnering with any of the three businesses that left without a partnership deal? Start the conversation in the comments below!


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