The Banana Phone is a novelty Bluetooth-enabled handset that pairs with smartphones to take calls and play music. Beyond the gag-gift appeal, the company is driven by a mission to support endangered mountain gorillas. Brian Brunsing and Max Brown pitched the business on Shark Tank in 2022 but left without a deal. The company has since been sold, with Brunsing officially stepping away in August 2023. After the show, Banana Phone is worth $2.5 million.
Three Friends, One Strange Idea
Brian Brunsing and Max Brown are natives of Buffalo, New York and both attended the University of Colorado Boulder. Their third partner, Charlie Katrycz, is the CTO. Katrycz has founded companies such as Loonskin Labs and Undu Wearables.
Max started his career as the VP of Sales for the Garrett Leather Corporation. After 11 years, he was promoted to President. Brunsing has worked as a consultant at Ecosystems and is currently the head of digital and fintech partnerships. at Visa.
The Joke That Became a Business
The idea came from a moment of office absurdity. Brian started holding a banana to his ear like a phone at his desk to put off colleagues from interrupting him, and the joke kept getting laughs. A quick search showed plenty of others had made the same gag, but no one had built a working product.
The device pairs with smartphones via Bluetooth and works with voice assistants like Siri and Alexa, but it’s a fun accessory, not a smartphone replacement – there’s no touchscreen, no apps, and no notifications.
When the startup launched in 2017, the founders partnered with Gearing Up 4 Gorillas, donating 1% of yearly revenue to mountain gorilla conservation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. An Indiegogo campaign that year raised $44,850 (145% of goal), with pre-orders for over 1,000 units across 18 countries.
The Shark Tank Spotlight
Brian and Max pitched for $250,000 in exchange for 10% equity, a $2.5 million valuation. The Sharks were taken aback by the numbers: $1.6 million in lifetime sales over six years, around $400,000 in cumulative profit, and $540,000 in 2021 sales at $123,000 net income – strong margins on a unit that cost $6 to make and retailed for $39.99.
Still, the Sharks dropped out one by one, citing concerns about scalability and the fact that all three founders were running Banana Phone as a side hustle.
How Banana Phone is Doing Now
Even without a deal, the Shark Tank exposure paid off. By the end of 2022, Banana Phone had reached $1 million in annual revenue, driven largely by Amazon and social media advertising. Some viewers found the product silly, but many warmed to the brand’s charitable side.
#BananaPhone is stupid to me. But I love their charity component. @ABCSharkTank #SharkTank 🍌
— John G (@JohnG500) October 1, 2022
In 2023, the founders sold the business – reportedly for more than twice its net income, though the buyer hasn’t been publicly disclosed. Brian Brunsing officially stepped away from Banana Phone in August 2023 and continues in his role at Visa.
Max Brown has remained connected to the company while continuing as President of Garrett Leather. Banana Phone is still operational under its new ownership, with the website (BananaPhone.io) and Amazon listings still active. The handset retails for $39.99, and the 1% donation commitment to Gearing Up 4 Gorillas remains in place.
Whether the new owners can scale Banana Phone beyond a single SKU is exactly the question the Sharks raised back in 2022. But for the original trio, what started as an inside joke at the office ended up paying off – Italian leather, gorilla conservation, and all.
