Shark Tank Australia recap: Season finale sees the Sharks go all-in on Swiff Spray
It’s Shark Tank Australia’s final episode for the season and everyone’s feeling it.
Which Sharks fight like it’s bath time? Which pitch brings the bickering Sharks together? Whose idea was it to bring ‘double the Sharks’ to the beach? It’s Shark Tank Australia‘s final episode for the season and everyone’s feeling it.
Mimi Haircare for kids
Emma Mackenzie is on an almost impossible mission – to make it easier to wash kids’ hair. The idea came when she was tired of the relentless tantrums and distractions she dealt with at bath time with her kids. We hear ya, Emma. Get this fixed and you won’t only get rich, you’ll be a front-runner for Australian of the Year.
Mimi Haircare is different because it’s for kids up to 12 years, is Australian-made, and is the only hair wash with a plant-based fragrance that doesn’t sting kids’ eyes.
It’s a fantastic pitch. The branding is easy to pick out from busy chemist shelves. Emma wants $250,000 for 10% of the company, and when the Sharks hear the sales figures – first year $60,000, second $100,000, this year $250,000 and next year $1 million – they want to jump in.
“You’re incredible,” Shark legend Rob Herjavec gushes. “We’ve had lots of people come up here and give us these wild projections, and we never believed them. But with you, I somehow believe you.”
Jane Lu wants too much equity for it to fit inside her Showpo empire, so she’s out. Vita Group founder Maxine Horne says it’s a great business but she’s out too.
Online marketing giant Nick Bell makes his familiar, yet not often successful, pitch. He knows the industry. He mentions again that the second biggest pharmacy is a client and his 600 digital marketers generate billions. His offer is $250,000 for 30%.
Then comes Oodies czar Davie Fogarty with an all-time reality judge maneuver: “Emma. I don’t like this….(long pause)…. I love it.” It’s such a corny play but it gets us every time.
Then Davie matches Nick’s offer but adds how much he’s going to get very involved in the business.
Emma counters, asking for them to go down to 20%. It’s a no, but Davie adds a $100,000 line of credit.
So she asks if they want to go in together and the Sharks start fighting like kids at bathtime.
Davie: “I don’t think we need each other.” Splash!
Nick: “We do the same thing. I just do it better.” Ouch!
Dry yourselves off, kids. She chose Davie.
Ramla
Brother and sister duo Jaimen and Jemma have invented something none of us beachgoers have ever thought of… sand repellent. It’s a lovely-smelling cream that you rub onto your skin and the sand just bounces off you.
While most of us were naive enough to think that keeping sand off your arms and legs was a skill that took years to master, 16-year-old Jaimen and 22-year-old Jemma invented this magic stuff.
They tell the Sharks that Ramla is Arabic for sand, they’ve had over 10 million social media views, and they want a $100,000 investment for a 15% stake in their company.
The Sharks can’t figure out how this hasn’t been done before. Surely someone’s come up with a cream that does this, but stories like theirs are why we keep coming back to this show—nobody has, not even the billion-dollar sunscreen giants.
But Jamien and Jemma did, and their next goal is to make Ramla work as a sunscreen.
Sales have been good, 1,000 bottles have sold for a total of $30,000, but they struggled with future revenue questions. That’s okay. We’ve found that you don’t need to be perfect to win the Sharks’ affection. You just have to show why your business is special.
Nick Bell sees a lot of himself in the young hustler Jaimien so he makes an offer — $100,000 for 30% of the business.
Maxine loves these young guns so she undercuts Nick’s offer with $100,000 for 20% of the business.
Jane wants to work with Maxine on the business so she…now let me get this right… offers them $100,000 for 30% of the business while Maxine isn’t really into this collab idea.
The brother and sister team whisper over thinking music, then ask Jane and Maxine to collaborate – $200,000 for 25%. Everyone is confused.
Maxine, nah, $100,000 for 30% of the business, me $50,000, Jane $50,000 but you get “double the Sharks”.
“Double the Sharks” sounds dangerous for something you use at the beach but it’s a yes. Hugs all round and they can’t wait to tell mum and dad.
Audima Labs
Mates since high school, Isaac and Jeremy have come up with Sway, an instrument they say could revolutionise the way we play and make music. It’s a cool-looking computer music device that you sway your hands over to change the pitch of computer-generated musical instruments.
For musos in the know, it looks like it’s a MIDI controller that you play like a theremin.
They’ve spent $70,000 on developing the light sensors and some patents, and they want $50,000 for a 5% share of it all.
Jane has a play, and with a little bit of waving her hand over the Sway, it sounds like she’s playing the cello, beautifully.
Davie’s out because he can’t see a mass market for it.
Rob’s out because, after some probing, he thinks there isn’t a particularly new invention in Sway other than how the software works, so he’s out.
Nick breaks his rule of not dealing with pre-revenue business with an offer of $50,000 for a 15% stake in Sway.
Maxine offers $50,000 for 10% and a $20 royalty per item.
This is where things get awkward.
“So lads, before you make a decision,” Nick peacocks, “Maxine was a great entrepreneur back in her heyday…”
“Still is,” Maxine quips.
“She doesn’t know digital. This is a digital play.”
Maxine looks angry and so she should. ‘Digital’ isn’t just for the young. This is the stuff older people in business have to put up far too much.
But Maxine’s curt response is delicious.
“But I know business… I know how to execute strategy, and I know how to hire firms like Nick’s. It’s pretty easy, really.”
As the kids say, it’s a sick burn.
Isaac and Jeremy counter with a “10%, anyone”, and it’s a no.
So they have to choose and they choose Nick.
We don’t see Maxine’s response.
Swiff Spray
It’s the final pitch for the season and it’s a good one. Nanotech scientist Dr JJ Richardson has invented and marketed an incredible product that, with one spray, protects fabrics from smelling for years. You can put it on anything and it works like nothing has worked before.
To demonstrate, he’s worn the same shirt for four days. One armpit he’s sprayed on some Swiff Spray and the other, none.
He strips off his lab coat to a shirt that says SMELL MY PITS in big letters. It’s a bit like a WHAM CHOOSE LIFE shirt, but different.
Who wants to smell it?
Nick, in lieu of smelling salts from Maxine’s roast earlier, has a sniff. Armpit one almost knocks him out and armpit two is odourless.
It’s a cool little spray bottle. The branding is terrific – clean and happy. Everything is just right.
There’s been 110,000 sales in the past two years but lots of money has been spent on patents. Dr JJ knows this is where the money is because this stuff is so great that big multinationals like Proctor and Gamble will want to buy that patent for huge money.
Nick thinks it could potentially be a billion-dollar business or nothing, and Rob agrees.
They love Dr JJ even after he admits he’s not a business person and that he just wants to see his science used in the world.
Rob sees a big opportunity but doesn’t really want to invest a full $200,000 so he hatches a plan – why don’t all the Sharks pitch in together?
Yes, says Nick! Yes, says Davie! Maxine? Okay, I’m in! Jane? Only if she can smell the nanoscientist’s armpits. Sniff, pwoar, she’s in!
What equity? It’s the Sharks’ turn to huddle!
They go for 30%.
Dr JJ counters with 15% (he might not see himself as a business person but he’s a tough negotiator), and, on everyone’s behalf, shouts 25%.
Let’s do it!
Dr JJ dances out of the Shark Tank saying he’s now got a Marvel-like team of superheroes on board.
Indeed you have, mad scientist Dr JJ Richardson, and one day you’ll rule the world!
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