Turbobaster Update | Shark Tank Season 1

Marian Cruz came onto Shark Tank with the goal of securing an investment of $35,000 dollars in exchange for 30% equity in her company, Turbobaster. The sharks were interested in learning more about Marian, let’s see if the sharks were willing to invest their money into her product idea. Once we cover the negotiations, don’t forget to check out the Turbobaster update to see how the company has been doing since airing during Season 1.

Shark Tank Turbobaster Update

Turbobaster Update

  • Entrepreneurs:  Marian Cruz
  • Business: Cooking Utility
  • Ask: $35,000 for 30% equity
  • Result: $35,000 for 100% equity + 2% royalty to Marian
  • Sharks:  Kevin Harrington

Since the product idea was only in the prototype phase of development, Marian was unable to provide the sharks with an estimated manufacturing cost for her Turbobaster. She believed that margins would be acceptable if she sold them between $19.99 and $29.99 in retail locations. 

Every time the sharks asked Marian a question, she was unable to answer it. They wanted to know how many millions of units in rival products were sold, but she hadn’t conducted the research. She also didn’t even have an idea what her estimated manufacturing costs would be per unit.

With such a lack of understanding of her own product market, it was going to be fairly unlikely for Marian to secure a deal.

Kevin O’Leary was losing his patience and decided to drop out without making an offer to Marian and her company. Barbara Corcoran and Robert Herjavec also dropped out because Marian was unable to produce numbers relating to her margins, manufacturing costs, and future business projections.

Daymond John offered $50,000 for 51% equity, while Kevin Harrington offered $35,000 for 100% equity and a 2% royalty that would go back into Marian’s pockets in perpetuity. It was time for Marian to make a decision on which offer to take. She decided to accept Kevin’s offer and politely rejected Daymond’s deal, selling 100% of her company.

Let’s quickly take a look at our Turbobaster update. Sadly, Marian’s company went out of business and never really built any momentum after appearing on Shark Tank. Her product was only a prototype and ultimately never reached the point of mass production in retail locations.

The company has been out of business since at least 2010, which is when the company’s social media pages and website were last updated. So, it looks like this will be our final Turbobaster update.

For more on Shark Tank Season 1 Episode 3, check out the links below:

To see updates from the other companies in Season 1, be sure to check out our Season 1 products page.

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Jeremy is a regular contributor at Shark Tank recap. He has a ton of passion for the show and enjoys researching information about what all the companies are up to now. His favorite Shark Tank companies are The Cookie Dough Cafe and Kronos Golf!