A great beach day shouldn’t start with wrestling clunky chairs and umbrellas out of the garage. That’s the hassle Leslie Hsu and Greg Besner set out to fix with Sunflow, an all-in-one beach chair that folds flat and carries its own accessories. The couple pitched it on Shark Tank and shook hands with Kevin O’Leary on a royalty deal. In 2026, Sunflow is worth $16 million.
Leslie Hsu and Greg Besner
Leslie Hsu and Greg Besner reside in Short Hills, New Jersey. Both of them have a long track record of running businesses. After getting a bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University, Greg earned his MBA at The Wharton School. His wife graduated from Penn State University.
Greg landed his first job at Goldman Sachs as an associate before moving to Merrill Lynch and becoming vice president. He founded two companies in the past: CultureIQ and Restricted Stock Systems.
Hsu started out as a fabric professional at Elie Tahari and Calvin Klein. Then, she went on to become a handbag designer and a businesswoman. She founded fashion brands like Leslie Hsu New York, PUNCHCASE, and LesliesFinds.
The Idea Behind Sunflow
As a busy married couple, Greg and Leslie love to regularly relax at the beach. However, going to their favorite seaside spots demanded a lot of preparation and Leslie didn’t like the quality of their beach chairs.
One day, the two decided to fix this. After brainstorming, they came up with Sunflow, a beach chair that features various necessary gear, including a sunglass carrier, a cup holder, and a canopy.
It was easy to fold, set up, and carry. It took the founders three years to make the final product, which was launched in 2020. After a year, the startup made $2.9 million in revenue.
Sunflow on Shark Tank
Leslie Hsu and Greg Besner appeared on season 13 of Shark Tank, asking for $1 million for 6% equity. The valuation was high, but the Sharks were impressed with how the business was performing. They also expressed concerns about the price point, $198 for a beach chair is out of reach for the average consumer.
A notable moment during the pitch was when Hsu mentioned that her father had recently passed. Kevin O’Leary wasn’t interested in hearing a sob story and bluntly turned the pitch back to business by saying “back to reality, let’s talk numbers”.
Daniel Lubetzky proposed $1 million for 22.5%, but the entrepreneurs ignored the offer because it was terrible. Kevin O’Leary later made several offers, he later ended up agreeing to invest $1 million for 5% with a royalty of $5 per unit. As fans of the show know, Kevin loves a royalty deal!
Sunflow Built Momentum After Shark Tank
Not long after Sunflow’s episode aired, the startup got a huge spike in orders, and Leslie and Greg had to cancel travel plans to keep up with shipments. The deal with Mr. Wonderful didn’t actually close, falling through a few weeks after taping, but the company raised $3.5 million in an investment round led by Great Oaks Venture Capital and FOD Capital.
Revenue jumped to $6 million the year after airing and reached around $14 million by May 2024. Sunflow has pushed well beyond direct-to-consumer sales, landing on roughly 40 cruise ships and more than 200 hotels and resorts, with further hospitality deals reported in the pipeline.
The product range has expanded too, adding accessories like towels, sunglasses cases, and bikini bags, plus a collaboration with designer Shoshanna on a matching swimwear and beach chair collection.
Sunflow still sells at a premium compared with standard beach chairs, although its current range now includes lower-priced models as well as higher-end chairs and accessories. But the brand has proven there’s a genuine market for high-end beach gear, and the plan remains to release more products and build Sunflow into a broader beach lifestyle brand.
