'Shark Tank' judges ask the founder’s mother to convince him to make a deal — it went as expected

The investors on “Shark Tank” are known to be tough negotiators, no matter how impressed they are with the pitch. But sometimes sharks can make emotional appeals to the founder to seal the deal, and on one such occasion, Kevin O'Leary brought up an entrepreneur's mom to make the difference. The founder named Destin George Bell, came to the show asking for $150,000 for 5% of his exercise app called Card.io.

Unlike other fitness apps, this one does not set goals for its users. Instead, it turns cardio into a fun video game-like situation. Users have to go out to run or walk to use the app. As they do so, Card.io makes it look like they’re taking over parts of the city, just like a strategy game. Users can walk or run those routes and take those areas for themselves from the person who did it before them.

It's like games where people are supposed to take over more land, except here, players would have to actually step out. The sharks loved the idea and the entrepreneur as well. However, there were some concerns. At the time of recording, Bell had only earned $4,000 in revenue and was asking for a $3 million valuation.

This was the biggest reason why Kevin O’Leary decided against investing in the company and backed out. Lori Greiner did not believe that she brought anything to the table with a product like this, so she too backed out. Mark Cuban was also of a similar opinion. The only two people left were Daymond John and Rashaun Williams, and they both loved him.

When asked what gave him the inspiration to make such an app and appear on “Shark Tank,” Bell credited his mother. He said that he had a lisp and stuttering problem when he was younger, so his mother made him watch the show to see how people spoke in public and presented their ideas. At 16, he made a promise to his mom. “I told my mom, ‘We’re going to be on this show one day, Mom, and I’m going to bring you,’” he said.

That might be a great story, but the sharks were not going to sign a deal with just 5% equity. John and Williams offered a joint deal of $150,000 for 15%. Bell thought that the equity was too high, but his mother didn’t. “By the way, I can hear your mother screaming take the deal, bozo,” Mr. Wonderful O'Leary chimed in. The entrepreneur then asked if he could talk to his mom, and the sharks invited her on stage.

“I was back there saying, ‘Boy, let’s do the deal!’” she said after coming onto the stage. Like a dutiful son, Bell heeded his mother’s advice and took the deal.