'Shark Tank' offers a massive deal to contestant who had an innovative solution to tackle wildfires
Wildfires are becoming a major concern for cities across the globe, and nothing is more important than keeping loved ones safe amidst extreme climate events. With climate change triggering more fires in states such as California, innovative solutions to protect oneself from them are being developed. Entrepreneur Bianca C. Wittenberg showed up in an earlier episode of “Shark Tank” asking $150,000 for 15% of her business, FireFighter1, which is specifically aimed at such infernos.
The company makes a swimming pool fire hose that uses the pool’s water as a means to douse significant flames. The hose can be attached to the pump of the pool using an adapter. Wittenberg said that a plumber needs to come in to attach it to the pump, and then it’s good to go. In a wildfire, this would certainly help a lot of people keep their homes safe.
The entrepreneur added that if there are evacuation orders, one must evacuate. However, if the embers from a wildfire are flying from a distance and landing on your house, the hose could come in real handy. It could even help firefighters do their job better. Wittenberg also revealed that the idea originally belonged to her father, who passed away five years ahead of the segment’s taping.
The sharks were impressed with her story and the product. They were also eager to work in a space that could help a lot of people. But the only problem was that the company had just started and had earned $22,000. This was understandable since it was a nascent business, but a lot of the sharks did not believe the company was worth investing in at that point in time.
Kevin O’Leary and Daniel Lubetzky backed out because of that. Daymond John did not believe he would be able to add a lot to the business. He did not have a lot of knowledge about the sector. The entrepreneur did get an offer from the remaining two sharks, Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner. Greiner said that it was the kind of product that needed a lot of “mouthpieces” behind it and asked Cuban if he’d be willing to go into a deal together.
Cuban explained to Wittenberg that this business was a slow burn, and she had to be patient about it. “Some of the greatest changes, entrepreneurial changes, took time. It’s gonna take time for people to understand this. It’s gonna take time for word to get out. But the good thing about this business, there are a lot of great leverage points.”
The two sharks came together and asked for 25% of the company. Wittenberg tried to negotiate, but when the two did not budge, she agreed to their terms. “I need to start working to get FireFighter1 to bring people and start showing my dad he did not disappoint,” the entrepreneur said with tears in her eyes. Making this business successful clearly means a lot to her.
