Author: Nicholas Becker

Going on an outdoor adventure is a blast until it’s time to set up the fire. Josh Thurmond invented the LavaBox, a portable campfire that takes these worries away. It’s made of ammo boxes, so you can be sure it’s sturdy. They pitched their product on Shark Tank and got a deal with Lori Greiner. At this stage, LavaBox is worth an estimated $2 million. Josh Thurmond’s Background Josh Thurmond hails from Denver, Colorado. Thurmond has a bachelor’s degree in history from MSU Denver and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Colorado Denver. He started out…

Sweet Anita is a Twitch streamer, YouTube star, and gamer from the UK. She is known online for openly talking about how she suffers from Tourette’s Syndrome. Though she gets some backlash from doing so, a lot of people support her endeavors. Background Anita was raised by a single mother in East Anglia and moved to the south west of England. Her real name is still a mystery. She sought medical help at 13 years old, but the doctor ignored her complaints, dismissing her as an attention seeker. It was believed that it was only a phase, and she would…

Boating is fun, but it can leave you wet and cold. Pretty Rugged’s waterproof, windproof, and stylish blankets are made to protect you from harsh weather conditions. Founded by Tracy Slocum, she appeared on Shark Tank and got a deal with Lori and Robert. As it stands, Pretty Rugged is worth $2 million and generate $3 million in annual sales. Tracy Slocum’s Background Tracy Slocum hails from Latham, New York and comes from a family of sailors. Her great-great-grandfather is Captain Joshua Slocum, the first person to single-handedly sail around the world! Because of the family’s genes, she enjoyed boating…

Stephen Tries (real name Stephen Jonathan Lawson) is a British comedian with over 1.6 million YouTube subscribers. While a million plus followers is impressive, Tries’ witty jokes deserve a much bigger fanbase! Other less talented YouTubers have double the subs and put less effort into videos. Income Sources Stephen Tries has an estimated net worth of £500,000 and makes around £100,000 per year. The comedian makes ad revenue from running two YouTube channels. From his main channel, he makes up to £50,000 in annual income. Given that the UK is his main audience, the CPM is lower than his American…

You should make no excuses if you want to become successful. With this mindset, Kobe Johnson became the first deaf entrepreneur to feature on Shark Tank. He came along with his dad, Ron, and sister, Taylor, to pitch the all-in-one outdoor kitchen equipment, Tailgate N Go. The trio closed a deal with guest Shark Matt Higgins. After the show, Tailgate N Go is worth $2.5 million. The Founders Ron, Taylor, and Kobe Johnson are an entrepreneurial family from Grand Junction, Colorado. Ron, who is considered an inventor, encouraged his kids to develop a love for the outdoors and camping. Taylor…

Don’t judge a pitch by its delivery. When entrepreneur Stephan Aarstol appeared on Shark Tank, he forgot his words halfway through the pitch. Even so, Mark Cuban saw the real value of the startup and it has become one of his best investments. Right now, Tower Paddle Boards is worth an estimated $2 million. Stephan Aarstol’s Background Stephan Aarstol is a serial entrepreneur from Bellingham, Washington and has a BA in finance, marketing, and decision sciences from WWU. Aarstol, also earned an MBA from the University of San Diego. In 1999, Aarstol was the Director of Business Development at AuntMinnie.com,…

Hal Finney is so much more than just the person who received the first 10 Bitcoin from Satoshi Nakamoto. He is a person who will be remembered for his contributions toward creating privacy solutions for all. He was a computer scientist who began his career developing console games and then was brought on by Phil Zimmermann to help develop for the PGP corporation. Contributions to Cryptography and Bitcoin Finney was a big part of the cypherpunks movement – these individuals communicated through anonymous email interactions. Hal played a big part in creating this type of messaging protocol. In one of…

Despite the amount of content being created, there’s still a lack of characters to represent people of color. Black Sands Entertainment was created by Manuel and Geiszel Godoy to change this. The media company featured on Shark Tank and got a deal with Mark Cuban and Kevin Hart. As of 2024, Black Sands Entertainment is worth an estimated $2.5 million. The Founders Manuel Godoy is an indie publishing mogul from Middletown, Delaware. He was a BBA student at Queens College and is an army veteran. It was in the military that he met the love of his life, Geiszel Godoy.…

Formal dresses can be expensive and often don’t get used again. To help people save money, Briella Brown created Your Closet so you can rent designer clothes for a fraction of the retail price. Briella scored a deal with Naomi Simson and Janine Allis on Shark Tank Australia. As of 2024, Your Closet is worth an estimated $2 million. Briella Brown’s Background Briella Brown is a young entrepreneur from Sydney, Australia and has a bachelor’s degree in Media from The University of New South Wales. While still a college student, Briella was a fashion contributor at Dalliance Magazine and UNSW…

Skateboarding, surfing and skiing are ideal action sports for adrenaline junkies but doing them at night is dangerous. Garret and Dakota Porter created an LED lighting system that makes riding at night much safer. Founders Garret and Dakota swam with the Sharks and got a deal with Robert Herjavec. Based on recent financials, Action Glow is worth an estimated $600,000. The Founders Garret and Dakota Porter are adventurous brothers from Grand Traverse County, Michigan. Dakota is the eldest sibling and is three years older than Garret. They both have business-related degrees from Northwestern Michigan College. Growing up, Dakota was fond…