Wild Earth Update | Shark Tank Season 10

Ryan Bethencourt couldn’t keep feeding meat to his pets while living as a vegan. So he created Wild Earth, a plant-based pet food made from koji, a fungus that produces complete protein. It offers a clean, affordable, and sustainable way to feed dogs without animal products. Was he able to earn a deal with any of the sharks? Here’s how it all played out in our Wild Earth update and pitch recap.

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

Ryan entered Shark Tank Season 10, seeking $550,000 for 5% equity in his pet food company. After his pitch, he made a deal with Mark Cuban for $550,000 for 10% equity.

In terms of a Wild Earth update, the company raised significant funding and expanded into retail after securing a deal with Mark through his venture firm, Radical Investments.

Shark	Result
Mark Cuban	Accepted offer of $550,000 for 10% equity
Kevin O’Leary	No offer
Lori Greiner	No offer
Daymond John	No offer
Matt Higgins	No offer

Shark Tank Wild Earth Pitch

• Entrepreneur: Ryan Bethencourt
• Business: Vegan dog food
• Ask: $550,000 for 5% equity
• Result: $550,000 for 10% equity
• Shark: Mark Cuban

Ryan came to Shark Tank to pitch Wild Earth, a vegan dog food company using koji, a fungi-based protein, as its core ingredient.

He said most dog foods were bad for pets and the environment. His solution was clean, sustainable, and high in protein.

Wild Earth’s treats included peanut butter and 10% koji. Ryan explained that there wasn’t enough protein for a complete diet, so they developed a kibble prototype.

The treats would launch in October, and the kibble was planned for early next year.

Ryan said both products would be sold online. The treats would cost $6.50 to make and sell for $12.99. The kibble would sell for $40, targeting premium buyers.

To prove the concept, he let the sharks try it. Lori Greiner said it tasted like oatmeal. Kevin O’Leary asked if dogs should be forced to go vegan.

Ryan replied that vets supported meat-free diets as long as they had proper protein, which Wild Earth provided.

Daymond John asked if there were any sales. Ryan admitted there were none. The sharks were surprised, especially since Ryan claimed an $11 million valuation.

Ryan said they’d been focused only on research and development. He shared that he built a lab using secondhand biotech equipment and later co-founded IndieBio, a biotech accelerator.

Wild Earth had raised $4 million, $2 million from Peter Thiel and Felicis Ventures, and another $2 million from other sources.

At the time of filming, Ryan owned just 20% of the company.

He believed Wild Earth could lead the future of alternative protein in pet food. He said they created a custom strain of koji that could be scaled through bioreactors.

The sharks didn’t like the valuation and started backing out one after the other.

Kevin thought the products were too expensive and said the lack of sales didn’t justify the ask.

Lori liked the mission but said the risk was too high.

Guest shark Matt Higgins called the valuation a trap and bowed out.

Daymond said investing would undercut his own plant-based pet food brand.

Although Mark Cuban didn’t mind the valuation. He believed in the product and Ryan’s vision. He offered $550,000 for 10% equity and refused to negotiate.

Ryan hesitated but eventually accepted, leaving with a deal for his business, Wild Earth.

Now, let’s get a Wild Earth update to see how Ryan Bethencourt’s company is doing since appearing on Shark Tank.

Shark Tank Wild Earth Update

According to our Wild Earth update, the deal with Mark Cuban eventually closed, not directly through Mark Cuban Companies, but through his venture firm, Radical Investments.

In May 2019, Radical joined several other investors, including VegInvest, Felicis Ventures, Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund, and Mars Petcare, to raise $11 million in funding.

This brought Wild Earth’s total investment to $16 million at that time.

Following the show, the company focused on plant-based dog products.

Although they initially explored cat food, they decided to put that idea on hold and concentrate on koji-based dog treats and kibble.

In 2021, Wild Earth officially launched its kibble on Amazon and moved its operations from California to Durham, North Carolina, to cut costs and avoid strict COVID-19 regulations.

Later that year, they raised another $23 million to support product development.

They introduced koji-based treats in three flavors, Strawberry & Beet, Peanut Butter & Banana, and Cinnamon, after gaining regulatory approval.

In 2023, our Wild Earth update found that the company started selling in independent pet stores, and in August, they secured shelf space at Petco.

In mid-2024, Wild Earth reached $21 million in annual revenue. They also announced plans to resume work on vegan cat food and begin developing lab-grown meat for dogs and cats.

However, despite the strong funding and retail partnerships, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in early 2025 to restructure its debt and stay operational.

At the time of this writing, Wild Earth remains active. Their products are still available on the Wild Earth website and in select stores.

If we have another Wild Earth update, we will let you know.

You can find the other company updates from Season 10 Episode 16 here:

• Urban Float Update
• Kudo Banz Update
• Pooch Selfie Update

Before you go, be sure to check out our list of all the Shark Tank Season 10 products.