Armed with her cashed-out 401K and a goal to learn about her family’s culture, Christina Funke Tegbe took a trip to Africa that would change the course of her life.

54 Thrones on Shark Tank: Key Takeaways

  • Entrepreneur: Christina Funke Tegbe
  • Product: 54 Thrones, a skincare line featuring African shea butter.
  • Investment Request: $250,000 for 10% equity.
  • Shark Offers: Kevin O’Leary and Nirav Tolia: $250,000 for 20% equity, revised to 17.5%.
  • Final Deal: Accepted O’Leary and Tolia’s offer of $250,000 for 17.5% equity.
  • Market Appeal: High-quality skincare celebrating African heritage.

The Story Behind: 54 Thrones on Shark Tank

Inspired by what she learned about her heritage, Christina developed a skincare line featuring shea butter that is designed to celebrate all her motherland has to offer.

Named 54 Thrones to represent the 54 countries in Africa, the company is focused on creating high-quality skincare based on African shea beauty rituals.

54 Thrones has received noteworthy attention for its products, even landing on Oprah’s favorite things list, which has helped to bolster sales.

Although Christina has had great success selling her product direct-to-consumers, she has landed some major contracts with significant retail brands that are causing her to rethink her business strategy and focus more on retail sales and less on direct-to-consumer marketing.

She is looking for a strategic partner that has experience with retail sales and marketing and is willing to invest $250,000 in exchange for 10% equity in 54 Thrones.

On par to close this year at over $1,000,000 in sales, Christina is aware that black-owned businesses are getting a lot of attention right now and she wants to use this platform to further her mission of promoting 54 Thrones and allowing more people to understand their African heritage.

The Sharks React to 54 Thrones

All of the Sharks are incredibly impressed with Christina’s presentation in the Shark Tank.

In fact, they are so impressed that it leaves them wondering how else they can really help her aside from financial support. With past experience in the skincare market, Nirav Tolia would like to invest in 54 Thrones.

Kevin O’Leary decides to partner with Nirav.

Together the pair offers Christina $250,000 in exchange for 20% equity. Through negotiations, they agree to a valuation of 17.5% with 10% going to Kevin O’Leary and the 7.5% going to Nirav Tolia.

Christina accepts their investment offer for 54 Thrones.

Closing Thoughts

What do you think of the partnership between Nirav Tolia and Kevin O’Leary? Do you think that they will provide the needed expertise for Christina?

If you were a Shark, would you have invested in 54 Thrones? Sound off in the comments below!

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