ECONOMY & WORK
MONEY 101
NEWS
PERSONAL FINANCE
NET WORTH
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use DMCA Opt-out of personalized ads
© Copyright 2023 Market Realist. Market Realist is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.
MARKETREALIST.COM / ECONOMY & WORK

Entrepreneur makes a huge mess on 'Shark Tank' set and still managed to get a life-changing deal

The cleaners must have had the best time after this entrepreneur left the stage.
PUBLISHED MAY 11, 2025
Screenshots showing the entrepreneur and the mess he made on "Shark Tank." (Cover image source: YouTube | Shark Tank Global)
Screenshots showing the entrepreneur and the mess he made on "Shark Tank." (Cover image source: YouTube | Shark Tank Global)

Pitches on “Shark Tank” are known to be fun, slick, and innovative, but no entrepreneur would ever want to get messy on the sets while asking for an investment. But a founder named Alfonso Tejada was not worried about making a mess, as he sought $300,000 for a 10% stake in his company OA Foods. The product that he hoped to impress the sharks with was called Palmini.

Palmini is supposed to be a healthy alternative to pasta. It’s made with the heart of palm that is masterfully cut into the shape of spaghetti and has none of the harmful elements. Tejada had a mascot join him on stage who destroyed four piñatas that had the names sugar, gluten, carbs, and calories, and uncooked pasta came out of those, making a mess on the floor.

The cleaners might have had a hard time after this pitch, but the Sharks loved it. However, there is a big difference between liking a pitch and liking a product. Robert Herjavec, Daymond John, and guest shark Bethenny Frankel believed that it did not taste like pasta. Rather, it was nothing more than strips of a vegetable cut into the shape of spaghetti. The fact that the entrepreneur had a patent pending for the product did not fill them with confidence either.

Screenshot showing Robert Herjavec's reaction to trying Palmini. (Image credit: YouTube | Shark Tank Global)
Screenshot showing Robert Herjavec's reaction to trying Palmini. (Image source: YouTube | Shark Tank Global)

Even if the product went big, all three sharks believed that a bigger company could easily replicate it and take over the entire market. For those reasons, all three of them decided not to invest in the company. However, Lori Greiner offered hope as she already liked hearts of palm and loved how this product tasted. Mark Cuban was also a fan of the product, but knew that there was a lot of work that had to be done. He teamed up with Greiner to make an offer, but it was a lot more than what Tejada had expected. They said they’d give the $300,000 for 30% of the business. The entrepreneur clearly wasn’t expecting this and asked if they would consider going down to 18%, which was obviously too low.

Screenshot showing Mark Cuban and Lori Grenier on
Screenshot showing Mark Cuban and Lori Grenier on "Shark Tank." (Image source: YouTube | Shark Tank Global)

The two sharks countered with 25%, which everyone felt was a good deal. “Gotta say yes right now,” Cuban said, highlighting the urgency of the matter. With only $50,000 in sales in three months, Tejeda did not have a lot of options. The entrepreneur saw that this was the best offer he was going to get and took the deal.



 

“I’m super excited. It’s a little bit more equity that I wanted to give, but if it’s Mark and Lori, I would have done 30%,” he said afterwards. Seems like the sharks missed out on an opportunity for a bigger stake with this one.

MORE ON MARKET REALIST
The contestant, Christina Derevjanik became the biggest winner ever in the show's history.
15 hours ago
The guest reduced his asking price by $40,000 and it still wasn't enough to convince Harrison.
16 hours ago
The contestant had her mother and sister with her, both of whom were also emotional.
17 hours ago
Fans made their opinions clear under an Instagram reel posted by the show's official handle.
18 hours ago
The contestant said she worked in hair loss prevention, which Harvey clearly knows nothing about.
1 day ago
The guest who impulsively picked up the LeRoy Neiman painting had no idea of its significance.
1 day ago
It was a heartwarming moment on the show, and even Steve Harvey had a big smile on his face.
1 day ago
The contestant, Talia MacLean could barely hold her emotions after playing a perfect game.
1 day ago
The guest wanted a six-figure sum for all three rings but Harrison did not even offer half of that.
1 day ago
The contestant played a fantastic game despite falling behind in the early going.
1 day ago
Herjavec was the only one who believed that he could make the business go big.
2 days ago
Steve Harvey had never heard of the team the contestant and sadi, and his reaction was priceless.
2 days ago
The contestant made the unusual choice because of a deal she had with a loved one.
3 days ago
The guest had received it from a cousin, who had bought it in Paris during World War II.
3 days ago
It was a fantastic solve for the contestant as the puzzle did not look easy.
3 days ago
Not only was the signature authentic, but also rare, as it was a full autograph on a personal document.
3 days ago
The guest wanted a lot less for the items and was happy to get a some extra cash.
4 days ago
Steve Harvey asked the contestant, Andrea, to demonstrate her answer, and that's exactly what she did.
4 days ago
The co-host revealed one of her hidden talents and fans were left impressed.
4 days ago
The entrepreneur might not have hoped to get so much money but he wasn't going to say no.
4 days ago