Clean Bottle Appears On ABC’s Shark Tank
Clean Bottle and its creator David Mayer appeared on ABC's Shark Tank on Friday, Jan. 20 and struck a deal with Mark Cuban.
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Clean Bottle and its creator David Mayer appeared on ABC’s Shark Tank on Friday, Jan. 20 and struck a deal with Mark Cuban.
See the complete press release below:
Clean Bottle, the revolutionary water bottle that unscrews at both ends for easy cleaning received an offer to invest $60,000 from billionaire, Mark Cuban, on the season Premier of ABC’s Shark Tank. Clean Bottle owner David Mayer teamed up with his biggest supporter, NBA Champion and sports commentator, Bill Walton, who surprised the panel of judges by dressing up as a gigantic water bottle in a show of support for the product. “Ride clean or die!”, exclaimed Walton as he removed the giant bottle lid, revealing himself to the panel of “Sharks.” The season premiere of “Shark Tank” aired this past Friday, January 20th, 2012 on the ABC Television Network.
The segment can be found here: http://abc.go.com/watch/shark-tank/SH559076/VD55164942/week-1
Clean Bottle was designed by David Mayer, Ironman triathlete and Stanford graduate from Silicon Valley, California. After constantly struggling to clean out the gunk and mold from the bottom of his water bottle, Mayer came up with the idea for Clean Bottle. “As an athlete, I was always using water bottles, but they were impossible to clean,” Mayer explained to the panel. “One day while I was on a bike ride the idea hit me – if I could unscrew the bottom as well as the top, then the bottle would be much easier to keep clean.” Mayer’s simple invention was well received. “It’s so simple, it’s one of those ideas that when you first showed it to me, I thought ‘of course’…” said judge and technology mogul Robert Herjavec.
Working from his garage and entirely self-funded with limited resources, Mayer launched the Clean Bottle’s path to success through unique and sometimes wacky grass roots marketing. In 2010, Mayer debuted “Bottle Boy”, donning a giant water bottle costume to chase riders in the Tour de France. In just two short weeks, Clean Bottle sold over $70,000 in bottles and today, can be found in over 4,000 retail stores and major distributors throughout the US and Europe including REI, Performance Bicycle, Dicks, 24 Hour Fitness, Sports Chalet and GNC.
Known for their entertaining, yet brutal questioning to the show’s entrepreneurs, the “Sharks” put Mayer through the ringer during his pitch calling him “slick, smart and greedy.” When asked why Clean Bottle was seeking funding, Mayer revealed his plans for future product development. “We’re about to take out the tools for the stainless steel bottle. That’s a $68,000 investment. I need to eat, I have a family, two kids and I want strategic investors.” Ultimately, Mayer was offered a deal with Cuban based on his desire to find both an investor and a mentor.
This month, Clean Bottle is launching The Runner, the first and only water bottle holder that allows you to use your iPod or smart phone on-the-run to access your favorite apps and tunes. With the proliferation of fitness apps and iTunes-based workout programs, The Runner is consistent with Clean Bottle’s mission to make simple things,easier. This summer, Clean Bottle will launch The Square, a dressed up, stainless steel version of the Clean Bottle featuring a sleek square profile. Ten percent of profits from all Clean Bottle products are and will continue to be donated to eco-friendly charities.
For more information on Clean Bottle, or on entrepreneur David Mayer,visit Cleanbottle.com.