Caffeindicator Caffeine Tester Update | Shark Tank Season 1

Consumers often worry about ingesting too much caffeine, which can lead to difficulty sleeping or jitters. Entrepreneur Michael Schiavone experienced this firsthand when he unknowingly received a caffeinated coffee. This prompted him to develop the Caffeindicator, a test strip that detects caffeine in beverages. Will he earn a deal on Shark Tank Season 1? Find out in our Caffeindicator update and pitch recap.

If you’re short on time, here’s a quick overview of what happened to Caffeindicator after Shark Tank.

Michael Schiavone appeared on Shark Tank seeking $200,000 for a 25% stake in his company, Caffeindicator. After a great pitch, he landed a deal with Kevin Harrington for $200,000 at 50% equity.

In terms of a Caffeindicator update, the deal never went through, and Caffeindicator never became widely available. Michael also stopped talking about the product in recent years, so it seems the business is no longer operating.

Shark	Result
Kevin Harrington	Accepted $200,000 at 50% equity
Robert Herjavec	$200,000 at 60% equity
Kevin O’Leary	No offer
Barbara Corcoran	No offer
Daymond John	No offer

Shark Tank Caffeindicator Pitch

• Entrepreneur: Michael Schiavone
• Business: Caffeine tester
• Ask: $200,000 for 25% equity
• Result: $200,000 for 50% equity
• Shark: Kevin Harrington

Entrepreneur Michael Schiavone appeared on Shark Tank Season 1 to showcase his new invention, the Caffeindicator. It’s essentially a special strip that easily detects whether a beverage contains caffeine. 

Michael showed the sharks his invention and explained that it could easily be shared with others. He also mentioned that it would be useful for people who don’t use sweeteners. 

He explains that some people can’t have caffeine due to health reasons, so the Caffeindicator is helpful for them. 

Even people who don’t use sweeteners find the test strips useful because they’re easy to use, interesting, and fun to share with others. 

Michael said he aims to grab a big slice of a $500 million market and make it twice as big. He explains to the sharks that his product works well with existing sweetener companies, which can open doors for them. 

The sharks asked him if he had previously approached sweetener companies with his idea. In response, he replied that while he hasn’t done that, he’s offering the sharks a “first-hand” opportunity to be the first investors to buy into his “million-dollar business.” 

The sharks inquire about the manufacturing cost per unit. Michael assures them that the cost drops dramatically when they produce the Caffeindicator in large volumes. 

Robert Herjavec is curious about the cost of adding the Caffeindicator strip to each sweetener packet. He wonders if it will increase the production price.  

Michael reassures him that’s not the case. He explains that the test strip will only add a tiny fraction of a penny to the manufacturing cost per packet. 

Kevin O’Leary pointed out that for the Caffeindicator to be successful, it needs the backing of the “big five” sweetener companies. He further explains that these companies need to be convinced the Caffeindicator will significantly increase their sales. 

Schiavone agrees but also thinks a sweetener company might buy the Caffeindicator just to keep it away from their competitors, even if they don’t plan to use it themselves. 

Barbara Corcoran doesn’t think people worry about caffeine in their drinks enough to need Michael’s products. She also thinks the sweetener companies would have to spend a lot of money on advertising if they wanted to sell it. For these reasons, she’s out. 

Daymond John echoes her sentiments and drops out of the deal as well. 

In contrast, Robert liked the idea and made Michael an offer of  $200,000 for 60% equity. He also gave him a condition: the deal was only good if he could get a deal with a big sweetener company. 

Before Robert could say more, Kevin Harrington offered the same amount of money for 50% equity with the same condition. 

Michael, weighing in on the options on the table, decided to take Kevin’s offer. 

Was that the right call for his business? Find out in our Caffeindicator update. 

Shark Tank Caffeindicator Update 

From all sources available, it seems the Caffeindicator is out of business.

Unfortunately, our Caffeindicator update research found that the deal with Kevin Harrington never went through, and the product never became widely available.

There was a brief moment of excitement when the product was featured in health and food magazines, but it seems Michael wasn’t able to drum up enough excitement.

After that initial buzz, the media and Michael stopped talking about the Caffeindicator. 

It also seems possible that one of the “big five” sweetener companies, the ones Michael needed to partner with, weren’t convinced the test strip would boost their sales.

There’s also a chance a competing company might have bought the idea just to keep it out of the market. We’ll likely never know for sure what happened behind the scenes.

Regardless, it seems that this will be our final Caffeindicator update.

Would you like to learn about the other companies featured on Season 1, Episode 13? Follow the links below for our other company’s updates from the episode. 

• Lipstix Remix Update
• Captain Ice Cream Update
• Legal Grind Update

For even more on companies and products, be sure to stop by our Season 1 Products Page!