SmartPlate entered the Shark Tank to debut their plate that identifies, weighs and analyzes the food you eat. For now, it is only available for pre-order on their website, but stay tuned for some exciting developments in the future. At this time, they already have partnerships in place with Bed Bath & Beyond, Target, Amazon.com and Jet.com.
We interviewed CEO and founder Anthony Oritz, who said that SmartPlate is just the beginning of the innovative products he intends to create. “We plan to help millions of people around the world eat better, feel better and live life,” he said. Here’s what else he told us about…
How the Idea For the Company Came About
I came up with the idea after almost losing my father to triple bypass surgery. When the surgeon told me, “You know, your father could have avoided this if he ate a bit better and was a little more active.” I started reading health books back to back. One book in particular left an impression, The China Study by Dr. Colin Campbell. In his book, Dr. Campbell explained that no human should ever have to suffer a stroke or die of a heart-attack, and that poor nutrition is a key contributor to this global pandemic.
Creating the 1st Prototype
It took us approximately one year of research and discovery. Understanding the customer, the customer journey, portion distortion, existing solutions and strengths and weaknesses before we arrived at the optimal solution, SmartPlate. From there, it took us four to six months to complete our first alpha working prototype.
Sales Up to This Point
We launched a successful Kickstarter campaign where we sold close to 1,000 units and generated over $110,000 in pre-order sales. Since our campaign, we have sold thousands of units in over 20 countries and have generated hundreds of thousands of sales.
The ‘Tank’ Reaching Out
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During our Kickstarter campaign, a Shark Tank producer approached us via email. At the time, we were so inundated with the campaign that we did not respond to her. A week later, a second Shark Tank producer emailed us, unbeknownst to her other colleague, so this time we replied and were asked to audition for the show.
