Mark Cuban, Robert Herjavec, Kevin O'Leary, Daymond John, Lori Greiner, and Barbara Corcoran dive in for Season 4 of "Shark Tank." The "Sharks," except Lori, returned for the premiere and reprised their familiar roles with a new level of intensity. The best part was seeing Barbara wear something besides that red dress from Season 3.
CoatChex
Derek Pacque, an enthusiastic graduate from Mark's alma mater, seemed like a shoo-in with his paperless coat check business. His request for $200,000 for a 10% stake was too ambitious for such a young product. Everyone except Mark, his fellow Hoosier, declined. The tough negotiator seems to have a soft spot for young entrepreneurs and techy products.
Although Mark called Derek's business strategy horrible, he kept negotiating and generously offered $200,000 for a 20% stake. It seemed like a slam dunk, but Derek consulted his college-professor-turned-business-partner who said it was too soon to give up so much equity.
ReadeREST update
In Season 3, Rick Hopper partnered with Lori Greiner to market his magnetic glasses holder. The business that began in his garage now has a dedicated facility producing 14,000 units daily. In 10 months, the handy gadget had $3 million in sales, and should reach $30 to $50 million in the next few years.
Bev Buckle
Jay Kriner's backstory made it seem like he invented something pertaining to his day job as an unexploded ordnance technician. Ba-bam! It was a total surprise to see the metallic contraption was actually a belt buckle with a built-in drink holder.
Kriner needed capital to fulfill orders and asked for $50,000 for 10% equity. Mark and Daymond declined, but Robert, Kevin, and Barbara fought for a deal. Robert offered $50,000 for 75% equity, and Kevin wanted a 12% royalty for $50,000. Jay chose Barbara, who offered $50,000 for 51% equity. The Bev Buckle seemed like a novelty product, but Jay talked about selling it to fishermen. Hopefully, Barbara will not offer it as a legitimate gadget designed to hold hot coffee at crotch level.
BodyWalking Institute
Ironman triathlete Tod Miller's passion was not enough to sell his plan to train massage therapists to walk on clients. Barbara eagerly let Tod demonstrate the technique on her, but none of the Sharks were remotely interested in paying $100,000 for 10% equity. Mark argued that participating in triathlons was a waste of effort, and Tod should pour everything into his business. Daymond disagreed, but Mark bragged about dumping his girlfriend after she told him to choose between her and his business.
BuggyBeds
Veronica Perlongo and Maria Curcio secured various patents, and major retailers, like Home Depot, stocked their bed bug detection system. The well-prepared duo wanted help expanding their retail presence and requested $125,000 for 7% equity. Kevin sent the women into the hall while he made a plan for all the Sharks to invest $250,000 for 25% equity. Barbara didn't want to share and offered $150,000 for 15% equity. She tried to turn it into a battle of the sexes, but the entrepreneurs didn't go for it. She finally joined the group offer, and the women accepted an unprecedented deal with five Sharks.
More from this contributor:
"Shark Tank": Most successful pitches from each season
"The New Normal" Episode 2 recap: It gets better
"Guys with Kids" premiere recap: Bros, babies, and tired jokes
