'Shark Tank' contestants make a mess with protein powder and end up getting a life-changing deal

Pitches on “Shark Tank” are meant to be unconventional and creative, but at times, things go over the top. That’s exactly what happened in an earlier episode of the show when entrepreneurs Joe and Megan Johnson asked for $250,000 for 10% of their company, Vade Nutrition. As part of the pitch, Joe worked out on set and even made a mess with some protein powder, spilling it everywhere.

That’s because they wanted to show the disadvantages of having regular protein powder from a giant container with a scoop. Vade Nutrition’s crown jewel was protein powder packed inside an edible, food-grade film. Two people who had ties to the sports and fitness industry, Mark Cuban and Alex Rodriguez, were the sharks who offered them more than half a million dollars.

At the time of recording, the product really was one of a kind, but the entrepreneurs had only earned $80,000 in sales. They also had an issue during the company’s launch, as the manufacturer did not flavor the protein powder correctly and refused to return any of the entrepreneurs’ money. However, the husband and wife duo were able to impress most of the sharks on the show.

The way the product works is that you drop the protein powder pouch inside a bottle of water and shake it until it’s thoroughly mixed. The film covering the powder was dissolvable as well, so there was no chance of there being any mess. All in all, it was a highly convenient method for fitness enthusiasts to meet their daily protein requirement without having the trouble of spilling the powder everywhere or measuring it.

It did not take long for Cuban to offer them a deal. He said that he wanted 20% of the company and was willing to pay $350,000. The entrepreneurs knew it was a good offer. Lori Greiner asked them to wait a little longer as she figured that if she wanted to make an offer. However, that’s when Rodriguez came in. He shared how he and Cuban helped another fitness product brand blow up and believed they could do the same thing here.

Rodriguez, therefore, said that if Cuban was willing to join him, the two of them would offer a whopping $700,000 for 40% of the company. That’s a lot of equity to give up, and so Joe and Megan needed to think about it before saying anything, but they saw the value these two sharks were going to bring.

Eventually, the entrepreneurs agreed to the deal that the two sharks were offering. This might have been a lot of equity to give up, but it must have been reassuring for the entrepreneurs to have two sharks with a lot of connections in the sports and fitness industries.