Sweet Ballz Update | Shark Tank Season 5
Sweet Ballz started as a simple home-baking hobby in Texas. James McDonald, a self-taught baker and small business guy, began making them for fun before they caught local attention. When Cole Egger, a marketing and branding professional, saw the product’s potential for mass appeal, he teamed up with James. Together, they created a snack that delivers the taste of cake pops without the stick or the mess. Will they secure a deal with sharks? Let’s find out in our Sweet Ballz update and pitch recap.
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick overview of what happened to Sweet Ballz after
James and Cole entered
In terms of a Sweet Ballz update, the company faced internal conflict soon after its
| Shark | Result |
| Mark Cuban and Barbara Corcoran | Accepted offer of $250,000 for 25% equity |
| Kevin O’Leary | $250,000 for 30% equity plus equal cash distribution |
| Lori Greiner | $250,000 for 36% equity plus equal cash distribution |
| Robert Herjavec | $250,000 for 25% equity |
Shark Tank Sweet Ballz Pitch
- Entrepreneurs: James McDonald and Cole Egger
- Business: Ready-to-eat desserts
- Ask: $250,000 for 10% equity
- Result: $250,000 for 25% equity
- Sharks: Mark Cuban and Barbara Corcoran
James and Cole described their product as a fun and simple treat that delivers the taste of a full cake in one bite.
The cakes come in multiple flavors and are packaged for convenience, making them easy to sell in stores across the nation.
James explained that he started baking cake balls for friends and family before teaming up with Cole to grow the business. Together, they scaled it from a small kitchen operation to national distribution.
Their biggest breakthrough came when 7-Eleven began stocking Sweet Ballz in over 5,000 stores nationwide.
The sharks were immediately interested once the founders revealed their numbers. In just 90 days, the company had earned more than $700,000 in sales, mostly through its retail deal with 7-Eleven.
The strong early results started a bidding war almost instantly.
Barbara Corcoran moved first. She offered $250,000 for 40% equity, saying she liked the energy and branding but wanted a larger stake to justify the risk.
Kevin O’Leary came next, offering $250,000 for 30% equity. He liked the sales figures but wanted structured returns tied to the founders’ earnings. He said he needed to see predictable profits before backing the deal.
Lori Greiner joined in soon after. She offered $250,000 for 36% equity and said she could help bring Sweet Ballz to QVC, where she believed the product would sell well. Like Kevin, she also wanted a profit distribution plan.
Meanwhile, Robert Herjavec said he could use his retail network to get Sweet Ballz into Costco and other big-box stores. He offered $250,000 for 25% equity and said his connections could grow the brand faster than anyone else’s.
Mark Cuban had been quiet through most of the discussion but eventually jumped in.
He offered to partner with Barbara on a combined deal of $250,000 for 25% equity, giving the entrepreneurs two sharks with retail experience and marketing reach.
Robert, Lori, and Kevin tried to stay in the game by teaming up. They offered $250,000 for 30% equity plus an equal cash distribution as a group deal. But by that point, James and Cole had already made their decision.
In the end, they accepted Mark and Barbara’s offer of $250,000 for 25% equity, choosing the partnership they felt could take the brand further.
Was this the right investment for the entrepreneurs at this time? Let’s find out in our Sweet Ballz update.
Shark Tank Sweet Ballz Update
Our Sweet Ballz update is quite interesting, as things took a downward turn right after their
At first, they received a surge of interest in their product, with orders pouring in by the minute.
But while the founders were busy celebrating their deal with the sharks, within a week, the company was already in crisis.
In late September 2013, James sued Cole and others for breach of contract and sabotage, claiming Cole had shut down the Sweet Ballz website and launched a competing brand called Cakeballz.
He also alleged that Cole tried to make business deals and buy out the company without his knowledge. The lawsuit included their joint company, City View Food Group LLC, which James had formed with Cole and his friend Matt Landis.
James wasn’t interested in shutting the entire business down, but only in regaining control of the business he had originally started from scratch.
Nonetheless, court filings show that a temporary restraining order and injunction were granted, and though the case was later dismissed in mid-2014, it left the brand scarred.
It’s unclear if the deal with the sharks went through, but given the drama that followed, it seems unlikely.
Despite the fallout, our Sweet Ballz update found that James kept the brand alive. The company stayed active on Facebook with deals, giveaways, and new flavors like salted caramel, lemon, and birthday cake.
Fans noticed the product disappear from 7-Eleven shelves, and in March 2020, the company confirmed it was available only in select stores for a limited time.
At the time of this writing, Sweet Ballz offers 15-count packs for $30 in flavors like chocolate, red velvet, cookies and cream, lemon, and birthday cake, plus occasional salted caramel and spicy chocolate options.
They also take custom orders for Sports Ballz, decorated like baseballs, basketballs, and hockey pucks.
The company is also targeting grocery-store bakery partnerships, hoping to roll out its cake balls to supermarkets in 2025.
As of now, the website still runs, but Sweet Ballz only accepts online orders during the cooler months.
If we get any other news about the company, we will let you know in our next Sweet Ballz update.
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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.