Rocco Smart Fridge Update | Shark Tank Season 16
Kitchen fridges are often overcrowded, making it hard to find drinks quickly when entertaining or relaxing, which sparked an idea to fix the chaos. Sam Naparstek teamed up with Alyse Borkan to create Rocco, a smart beverage fridge designed as stylish furniture for the living room. It organizes all drink sizes, functions as a bar cart, and connects to an app that shows what’s inside. Did the sharks love the idea enough to invest? Let’s find out in our Rocco update and pitch recap
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick overview of what happened to Rocco after
Sam and Alyse pitched their smart mini fridge for drinks on
In terms of a Rocco update, the company expanded its product line by launching a limited-edition pink fridge in partnership with Wölffer Estate Vineyard. Further, they also formed collaborations with beverage brands like Natalie’s, Nomadica, and Culture Pop Soda.
| Shark | Result |
| Lori Greiner | Accepted offer of $600,000 for 4% equity plus $50 royalty per unit sold until $900,000 is paid |
| Kevin O’Leary | $600,000 for 10% equity |
| Robert Herjavec | No offer |
| Daniel Lubetzky | No offer |
| Mark Cuban | No offer |
Shark Tank Rocco Pitch
- Entrepreneurs: Sam Naparstek and Alyse Borkan
- Business: Premium smart beverage fridge
- Ask: $600,000 for 3% equity
- Result: $600,000 for 4% equity plus $50 royalty per unit sold until $900,000 is paid
- Shark: Lori GreinerÂ
Sam and Alyse stepped into
Alyse pretended to search through a packed kitchen fridge, struggling to find a drink, while Sam pointed out how disorganized kitchen fridges can get.
That everyday inconvenience, they explained, is what inspired their product.
Rocco offers a smart beverage fridge built specifically for living rooms, where people typically enjoy a drink.
Unlike traditional kitchen or wine fridges, it stores everything from ginger shots and sparkling water to energy drinks and champagne.
The fridge features custom adjustable shelving and doubles as a bar cart with removable trays. Its flat surface can be used to pour and serve drinks.
What makes Rocco unique is its camera-powered app system. It visually tracks the contents of the fridge in real time—no barcode scanning required.
The app automatically updates and shows users what’s on each shelf every time they add or remove an item.
The sharks were intrigued. Lori Greiner mentioned she had recently purchased a similar fridge for triple the price and thought Rocco’s pricing, which is $1,295 for early access and $1,495 retail, was very competitive.
Robert Herjavec asked about production. Sam explained the fridge costs around $575 to manufacture, plus $130 to $160 for shipping, bringing the total landed cost to approximately $750 to $775.
They sell direct-to-consumer via their website only.
Sam added they had sold just over 3,000 units, generating $4 million in revenue in eight months.
Their ads were producing a 5x return, with a customer acquisition cost of around $250 per fridge.
They also raised $1 million at a $10 million post-money valuation two years earlier, before they had a prototype. Now, they were projecting $12 million in revenue by year-end.
However, Kevin O’Leary and the other sharks took issue with their $20 million valuation.
Kevin said he liked the product but felt the number was too high. He offered $600,000 for 10% equity, bringing the valuation down to $6 million.
Mark Cuban broke down the math and said he’d only see a return if the company hit $60–$80 million in free cash flow, which he felt was unlikely. He dropped out.
Robert and Daniel Lubetzky also passed, citing a lack of clear upside. Lori loved the product but said the valuation made it hard to justify investing. With no one left in, all five sharks were out.
As Kevin remained the only shark who had made an offer, Sam and Alyse turned back to him with a royalty-based counteroffer—$50 per unit sold until Kevin recouped his $600,000, while keeping the original 3% equity ask.
Kevin declined, saying he doesn’t do commission-based deals and insists on royalties across all units.
At that point, Lori re-engaged and asked what royalty structure they’d offer her. Alyse repeated the same—$50 per unit with 3% equity.
Lori countered with a 3% royalty in perpetuity, which the founders didn’t feel comfortable with.
They negotiated from there. Sam offered Lori 4% equity and a $50 royalty per unit sold until she recoups $600,000, plus an additional $300,000 afterward.
Lori accepted the terms, and the entrepreneurs walked out with a deal.
Keep reading our Rocco update to find out what happened next for their company.
Shark Tank Rocco Update
Our Rocco update found that since appearing on
They introduced a limited-edition pink fridge in collaboration with Wölffer Estate Vineyard, adding to their original color options of white, graphite, yellow, and green.
Rocco has also partnered with beverage brands like Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice, Nomadica, and Culture Pop Soda to enhance the customer experience.
The Rocco Super Smart Fridge has earned major recognition, starting with the Best Smart Fridge title at the GQ Home Awards.
Our Rocco update also found that the fridge received the Most Groundbreaking Home Product award from Domino’s Good Design Awards.
For more info or to buy a fridge, visit the Rocco website.
Once the dust settles, we’ll return with another Rocco update.
For other company updates from
Before you go, be sure to check out our list of all the Shark Tank Season 16 products.
Marvin Uzor
Marvin Uzor is a content contributor for Shark Tank Recap. He specializes in crafting engaging, well-researched content that delve into the latest Shark Tank stories, keeping readers hooked. He has a soft spot for his favorite Shark Tank companies, Bombas and Doorbot, known for their innovation and impact.