(Amazon)
Illumibowl entered the Shark Tank to debut their motion-activated light that attaches to a toilet bowl. It’s LED light shines different colors into the water, which lights up the bowl so nighttime bathroom users can see without having to turn on the light.
We interviewed Matt Alexander who invented the product and entered the Shark Tank with his brother-in-law Michael Kannely.
Here’s what he told us about…
How the Idea For the Company Came About
We came up with this idea at a family reunion in September of 2014. I was talking to Michael, my co-founder, about how I hate turning on lights and waking myself up in the middle of the night and we decided there had to be a better way!
Working With Family
The positives were that we were very compatible. The negatives were that if things were to go south it might make family members mad. We just put clear expectations in place so there would never be false assumptions and things have worked out great.
Creating the 1st Prototype
We made the first basic prototype in a couple days and began research and testing and made improvement after improvement over the course of half a year between idea and final product. Kickstarter was very useful to get feedback from real life paying customers to help us refine the design and utility.
Experience With Kickstarter
Kickstarter was phenomenal. It allowed two college students with no money to create a product that helps millions of people and built a million dollar business from scratch and without having to take loans or give away our whole business from early stage investors. Its never been easier to start your own business than today.
Entering the ‘Tank’
Our appearance on Shark Tank seemed like a really good fit. We went through the entire application process and knew that going on Shark Tank would be an amazing opportunity to try to get a a seasoned partner and investor for our company so we gave it everything we had to get on…We were nervous at first but once the pitch began, it was actually really fun. All of the Sharks were incredibly helpful and supportive and its an experience that really helped our business knowledge grow.
