Becca Davison, her daughter Eve, and her mother, Barb Heilman, came to the Shark Tank to showcase their simple but inventive product to make getting children out of their car seats easier.

Key Takeaways: UnBuckleMe Shark Tank Update

  • Product: Car seat buckle tool for people with limited hand strength.
  • Investment Ask: $100,000 for 10% equity.
  • Shark Response: Lori Greiner and Mark Cuban partnered to invest $100,000 for 20% equity.
  • Post-Show Success: UnBuckleMe continues to grow, improving accessibility for families and elderly users.

What Is the Story of UnBuckleMe?

With a business pitch and proposal that spanned three generations and received offers from five sharks, UnBuckleMe proved to be very successful in the Shark Tank.

This simple and patented product was originally designed to help Barb, who has arthritis in her hands, be able to quickly and easily get her grandchildren out of their car seats. The product market has since expanded to also provide a helpful solution for older kids to get themselves out of their car seats in the drop off line at preschool.

The mother-daughter duo decided to tackle this problem not only because of its inconvenience but also because their impressive resumes lent themselves perfectly to designing and creating a solution that was affordable and easy to use.

As a Child Passenger Safety Technician, Becca was able to thoughtfully consider the needs of the product while Barb, a hand therapist, was able to provide requirements to make UnBuckleMe effective and easy-to-use.

Because each standard child safety seat buckle requires 9 pounds of pressure to open, Becca and Barb needed to develop a product that would make this significantly easier for consumers who have strength and dexterity issues with their hands.

What Did the Sharks Think of Their Pitch?

Since designing and acquiring utility and design patents for UnBuckleMe, Becca and Barb are hoping to partner with a Shark who will help them drive down their customer acquisition costs and who are willing to invest $100,000 in exchange for 10% equity in their company.

Because half of their sales come from grandparents, UnBuckleMe needs help targeting that demographic as well as young parents who may need some help in the carpool line. Their current customer acquisition costs are $3 which eat into their profit margin.

In an unusual event in the Shark Tank, all five Sharks are interested in investing in and partnering with UnBuckleMe.

Guest Shark, Anne Wojcicki, partnered up with longtime Shark, Kevin O’Leary, and offered to invest $100,000 in exchange for 10% equity alongside a royalty agreement of $0.50 per unit until they make $250,000. The royalty will then go away and the equity will remain. Lori Greiner and Mark Cuban also decided to pair up to present an offer of $100,000 for 20% straight equity with no royalties.

Daymond John attempted to undercut Lori and Mark’s offer by offering to invest $100,000 for 15% equity, as it was apparent that UnBuckleMe was not interested in a royalty deal. Becca and Barb decided to accept Mark and Lori’s offer because they would get two great Sharks by surrendering only slightly more equity.

Closing Thoughts

Do you think that UnBuckleMe made a good decision in partnering with Lori Greiner and Mark Cuban? If you were Becca and Barb, which Shark would you have picked and why? Begin the conversation in the comments below!