'Shark Tank' guest judge goes against everyone's advice to invest $500,000 in wonder drink company

"Shark Tank" investors are known to be some of the smartest minds in the business world, and most people would trust their advice. But a guest shark went against all of them when entrepreneur Rosa Li sought a $500,000 investment for 5% of her immune-boosting sparkling wonder drink company, Wildwonder. Li took inspiration from her grandma's recipe books and turned natural ingredients into super gut cleansing, mood-elevating, and brain health-promoting beverages. The fruit-flavored soda alternative promised a combination of both probiotics and prebiotics for a healthy lifestyle. Since launching her venture in 2020, the product has remained successful in local retail stores, including Whole Foods. 

"We don't use any refined sugars, and all everyday flavors are USDA Organic, non-GMO, vegan, caffeine-free, and gluten-free, containing 1 billion live probiotics and five grams of prebiotic fiber with only six grams of sugar and 40 calories," Li told in an exclusive to Food Republic. "Each can is the perfect blend of the herbs and botanicals from my heritage and the bold fruit flavors of a California fruit stand." Coming back to the 'Shark Tank' pitch, Li explained that every drink is made keeping the rawness of nature in mind, "Every can has five grams of Prebiotic fiber that's unusual in a drink, we're a more holistic way to approach gut health."

Li went on to project the figures; she mentioned that her company had acquired $2.1 million through seed funding, with additional investments coming in. However, she disclosed that she was far away from making marginal profits. Wildwonder boasted of $1.4 million in revenue and had a successful run rate of $2.5 million during the time of the valuation. Li further acknowledged that she was working on reducing the production cost by 20 cents. The investors were thoroughly impressed with her range and variety of the beverages presented on the show, which included Strawberry Passion, Guava Rose, Peach Ginger, and Mango Gold. However, it wasn't convincing enough for them to invest. Barbara Corcoran cited her previous two failed beverage deals as the reason to back out. 

Kevin O'Leary, who always comes up with whimsical one-liners, dropped the deal, saying, "At five percent, I don't even get out of bed for five percent. For me, I'm out." "For me, the risk isn't matching the reward. I think you're in a very, very, very big market, so I'm sorry I'm out," Lori Greiner picked her side. Li was then left Xu, who made a counteroffer of a $500,000 investment for a 9% equity stake. Li didn't agree to it and put forth $500,000 for a 6% stake in the company and 3% in advisory shares. She finally got an investor, and the Wildwonder company came close to achieving its dreams.

Sales spiked after the beverage was featured on 'Shark Tank', "The month 'Shark Tank' aired was nothing short of transformational for Wildwonder. What we used to sell in a year, we sold in just one month," Li revealed. "Over the following year, our growth skyrocketed — sales grew by 400%, or five times what they were the year before." The probiotic drink has been available to consumers in 40 U.S. states since the business and Target inked a partnership in 2023. Li's organic business has also won numerous accolades, such as Inc. Magazine's 14th fastest-growing firm in the U.S. Pacific area.