Modern Picnic Lunch Tote Update | Shark Tank Season 15

Ali Kaminetsky, a busy professional in New York City, didn’t like showing up to work with a lunchbox that looked like it was made for school kids. Paper bags felt cheap, and plastic containers weren’t easy to carry. So she created Modern Picnic, stylish lunch bags that look like handbags but keep your food fresh. Will any of the sharks want to invest in her company? Find out in our Modern Picnic update and pitch recap.

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

Ali pitched her lunch tote brand on Shark Tank Season 15, seeking $400,000 for 6.5% equity. After her pitch, she left without a deal.

In terms of a Modern Picnic update, the company saw a 300% spike in sales within 24 hours of the episode airing. Further, it cut marketing costs, streamlined operations, and grew lifetime sales from $6 million to over $10 million by mid-2024.

Shark:	Result:
Mark Cuban	No offer
Robert Herjavec	No offer
Lori Greiner	No offer
Kevin O’Leary	No offer
Emma Grede	No offer

Shark Tank Modern Picnic Pitch

• Entrepreneur: Ali Kaminetsky
• Business: Fashionable lunchboxes
• Ask: $400,000 for 6.5% equity
• Result: No deal
• Shark: None

Ali entered the Tank with a simple pitch. She created her own lunch tote line called Modern Picnic to replace outdated lunchboxes with something more stylish.

Instead of the usual plastic or fabric boxes, Modern Picnic offers insulated lunch bags made from vegan leather. They’re built to look like high-end designer purses.

Her first product, The Luncher, offered a clean design with a wipeable interior. Since launch, she has added more options.

These include The Snacker, The Tote, and The Backpack. Each one serves different needs and comes in multiple colours.

Additionally, the brand sells matching food containers that fit perfectly inside the bags.

Customers can shop directly from the website or through retail partners. Modern Picnic is already stocked at Saks and The Container Store, and Ali recently secured her vendor number for Bloomingdale’s.

The sharks examined the samples placed in front of them. Robert Herjavec called it “clever” and “super cool.” Kevin O’Leary made a joke about purse snatchers finding a ham and rye sandwich.

Ali explained that she launched Modern Picnic in 2018 after coming up with the idea at age 22. At the time, she had no industry experience or startup capital. Now 29, she has built the business from the ground up.

Her average order value is $155. Margins are around 80%, with gross margins at 60%. For example, The Luncher costs $30 to $35 to make and sells for $159.

Around 70% of her sales come from e-commerce. Wholesale makes up another 20%.

So far, she’s done just under $6 million in lifetime sales. For the current year, Ali projected $2 million in revenue but expected a net loss of $100,000.

Mark Cuban wanted to know where the money was going. Ali initially said 25% of spending goes to marketing.

However, when guest shark Emma Grede pressed for a more accurate number, Ali clarified that marketing and brand-building combined take up nearly 50% of the budget. That raised some concerns.

In terms of funding, she cold-called over 1,500 investors and was able to secure $900,000 for her company. Then, did a seed round and raised an additional $900,000.

Kevin questioned her $6.15 million valuation, saying she was overspending. He quickly bowed out.

Mark also passed, saying she needed to manage the business with more discipline. Robert liked her, but couldn’t get behind the numbers.

Lori Greiner didn’t feel comfortable with how much capital had been raised so early and decided not to invest.

Emma added that Ali was spending too much on digital advertising and might not notice a drop in performance if she scaled back. She liked the product, but not enough to make an offer.

In the end, none of the sharks made an offer.

Without any offers from the sharks, Ali was forced to leave without a deal. Did she manage to turn things around despite this?

Keep reading our Modern Picnic update to find out!

Shark Tank Modern Picnic Update

In terms of a Modern Picnic update, the company saw a major spike in exposure. Website traffic jumped by 915%, and sales shot up by over 300%.

To handle the new demand, Ali launched a special preorder for their new Wicker Collection, an insulated lunch tote with a stylish woven finish.

That move helped them ride the Shark Tank wave without breaking operations.

In the months that followed, Modern Picnic added even more retail partners to its list. In 2024, their products were sold online at Target, Bloomingdale’s, Anthropologie, Nordstrom, and Maisonette.

They also appeared in boutique shops across the Hamptons, Aspen, and Nantucket.

As of mid-2024, Modern Picnic has passed $10 million in total sales since its 2018 launch. That’s up from about $6 million reported on the show.

Their newer offerings include a Fanny Pack for under $50 and reusable food containers that match their vegan leather style.

Modern Picnic cut down heavily on paid ads and began relying more on organic marketing through social media, referrals, and ambassador programs.

They now have over 600 active brand ambassadors and a small, focused team managing partnerships and fulfillment.

In June 2025, Ali posted on LinkedIn to celebrate Modern Picnic’s 7th anniversary, sharing how it all started in her parents’ garage.

She regularly uses her platform to support causes like breast cancer awareness, PETA, the Trevor Project, and I Am a Voter.

The products are available on Amazon and on the Modern Picnic website. You can also follow their Instagram.

We’re calling this Modern Picnic update a success.

In the meantime, you can check out our other company updates from Season 15 Episode 13 by following the links below!

• Au Baby Update
• Genius Litter Update
• Torch Update

Before you go, be sure to check out our list of all the Shark Tank Season 15 products.