ViewSport Sweat-Activated Workout Shirts | Shark Tank Season 3
Entrepreneur Ben Wood pitched his clothing company during
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick overview of what happened to ViewSport after
Ben Wood appeared on
| Shark: | Result: |
| Daymond John | No offer |
| Kevin O’Leary | No offer |
| Robert Herjavec | No offer |
| Barbara Corcoran | No offer |
| Mark Cuban | No offer |
Shark Tank ViewSport Update
- Entrepreneur: Ben Wood
- Business: Fitness clothing with sweat-activated technology
- Ask: $500,000 for 20% equity
- Result: No deal
- Shark: None
Ben walked into the tank and introduced the sharks to his ViewSport fitness clothing, with sweat-activated designs. He says that his products can actually help add motivation and inspiration while working out.
Anyone who works out wants to see results, but to get those results, you ultimately have to work hard. Ben believes that people are willing to buy whatever it takes to see such results.
That’s why he created his sweat-activated technology, which is actually built into the fabric of his workout shirts. A secret logo or design then reveals itself, and he calls this ‘motivation through perspiration’.
He demonstrated how the technology works with he help of a friend on set, who was lifting weights. To speed up the process, Ben sprayed the shirt with water, and it quickly transformed to reveal a hidden design.
However, now that he’s launched his business, he’s seeking help from a shark. He ultimately needs help with contacts, which he’s hoping will eventually lead to sales growth.
At this point in the pitch, Kevin O’Leary asked about sales. Ben said sales in the current year were at $140,000, with 80% of those achieved in just the last 3 months.
Robert Herjavec asked to see the products. Mark Cuban asked if it was his technology or if he was simply licensing it. Ben said it was his that he invented, thanks to his background in chemistry.
Robert asks how Ben came up with idea. Ben says that he was in medical school, and while working out, he noticed sweat patterns in his shirt.
That initially sparked the idea to create messaging out of the sweat. He then did significant research on the topic, and eventually dropped out of medical school.
With that, he’s invested his time into the business full-time.
In terms of a patent, that was still pending at the time of filming. Robert likes the idea, but he says he’s trying to determine whether or not it would drive him to buy one of the shirts.
Kevin asked if the strategy was to license the technology to apparel companies, but Ben said he eventually wanted to go beyond that, by integrating the technology with other textiles.
Barbara Corcoran said sweat was required to make the technology work, but Ben specified that it only needed a source of wetness, like water.
Ben’s time in the tank started falling apart when the design he was spraying with water failed to appear. He reiterated that he needed the sharks’ connections, but Daymond John went out.
Kevin said he liked the idea, but not the business plan. He went out.
Barbara thought the collection was too monochromatic, and overall not great.
Robert said he wasn’t sold on the product, and thought it was too gimmicky. He went out, leaving Ben without a deal.
With that, Ben had to exit the tank without an investment, but did the company make it following
Our ViewSport update reveals that the company finally made it, despite the sharks’ wariness. After a triumphant $6.9 million contract with the US Army, ViewSport continues to be in business today.
ViewSport is also the 2023 official supplier partner of Ironman.
You can check out the sweat-activated fitness apparel technology on the ViewSport website. Since appearing on the show, Ben has vastly expanded the product line to include all types of apparel, not just shirts.
If we learn anything new about this company, we will certainly let you know. In the meantime, you can check out our other company updates from Season 3 Episode 11 by following the links below.
There you will find everything you could help to know about these companies!
For even more on companies and products, be sure to stop by our Season 3 Products Page!
Andrew Smith is the founder and owner of Shark Tank Recap. He is a longtime Shark Tank fan that has been watching it for years and has seen every episode multiple times. His friends know him as the Shark Tank expert, because he can answer any question about the show! His favorite Shark Tank products are Bertello's pizza oven and Bug Bite Thing!
