Woman tears up after being called 'liar' on 'Shark Tank.' Then, she walked away with a $350,000 deal.

Usually, when a founder gets judged harshly by investors on "Shark Tank," they are less likely to clinch a deal. But there are some exceptional cases where one of the sharks sees potential in an idea despite criticism from others. When “America’s Next Top Model," Lisa D'Amato appeared on the reality show, the sharks weren't sold on the idea of her product's "new way of feeding kids" on the go. D'Amato, the founder of the children's bib and food container brand Dare-U-Go, upset Mark Cuban in particular with her numbers, as he even went on to call her a liar. Despite the setback, D'Amato managed to walk out of the Tank with a deal anyway.

Fake Fan With Fake Numbers?

A fan of Shark Tank, D'Amato appeared on the show with her sons to demonstrate her invention, the Dare-U-Go bib. The part plastic and part silicone bib functions as a compartmentalized food container that wraps around a child’s neck. The product allows children to snack at their convenience and prevent spillage and food wastage. The "momtrepreneur" also charmed the Sharks with her powerful backstory of overcoming an eating disorder. The winner of the fifth season of "Model" and its All-Stars edition in 2011, shared that motherhood has been an important part of her life.

She got teary-eyed remembering her bulimic mother, her own eating disorder, and the pressures of being a model. She said that she was once hospitalized and the doctors told her that if she continued on her path, she may never have a child. However, she overcame the adversities and now takes care of her family and business. The story left Barbara Corcoran and Mark Cuban moved but as usual, Kevin O’Leary was eager to get down to the numbers and said, “Let’s get back to business. It’s an interesting story and very compelling. It’s a great outcome, but you’re here to get an investor." D'Amato continued to impress the Sharks as she mentioned that her company sold products worth $100,000 in three months with great margins. She shared that it costs her $2.68 to make one bib, and it sells online for $22.99.

Thus, things were looking good for her and it seemed she would get $350,000 for a 10% stake in her company. However, things took an unexpected turn when D'Amato mentioned the future growth of the baby-product market instead of sticking to Dare-U-Go itself. This agitated Cuban who lashed out at her. “Lisa, you lied to us,” Cuban said repeatedly. “You said you watched the show. One of the things we repeat over and over and over again is that one of the worst ways to sell in ‘Shark Tank’ is to come in and talk about how big a market is, and (that) if you only get one tiny sliver of a percent, it’s a lot of money for you," he said. While D'Amato was left confused and shocked, Cuban pulled out of the deal.

Mr. Wonderful to the Rescue

Despite Cuban's comments, O’Leary made an offer of $150,000 for 15% of the company and extended a $200,000 loan. Being the cunning investor he is, O'Leary later raised the equity by 5% as another Shark dropped out. It then went up to 30% after both Lori Greiner and Robert Herjavec were out. Barbara Corcoran was then the only Shark left to make her an offer. Corcoran said that she was moved by D'Amato's story, thus she offered $100,000 cash plus a $250,000 loan, but in exchange for 50% which later dropped to 35%, to which D'Amato agreed. 

What Happened to Dare-U-Go After Shark Tank?

Barbara’s investment turned out to be fruitful as Dare-U-Go has been growing since it appeared on Shark Tank. D'Amato is now reportedly worth about $46 million as per The Richest and Dare-U-Go is now selling products across the world.