Breathometer Shark Tank Update – Shark Tank Season 5
Charles Yim landed a rare five-Shark deal for his smartphone breathalyzer, but what happened next turned Breathometer into one of Shark Tank’s most cautionary tales.
Breathometer appeared on Shark Tank Season 5 Episode 2 and pitched its product, the first smartphone breathalyzer. It integrates a sleek hardware device with a mobile app to help users measure their blood alcohol content (BAC) in seconds. The compact breathalyzer plugged into a smartphone’s headphone jack and aimed to reduce drunk driving by helping people make better decisions after drinking.
Charles Michael Yim, the charismatic founder, believed this device could save lives. Priced at $49 for pre-order, Breathometer offered an affordable, pocket-sized solution to a dangerous problem. And it quickly grabbed the Sharks’ attention.
Check out other Shark Tank Season 5 Episodes.
About Breathometer
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Business Name | Breathometer |
| Founder | Charles Michael Yim |
| Industry | Technology, Health and Safety |
| Product | Smartphone breathalyzer app and device |
| Funding | Secured $1 million from all five Sharks for 30% equity |
| Deal Status | Deal secured with all five Sharks |
| Investment Asked | $250,000 for 10% equity |
| Deal Outcome | $1,000,000 for 30% equity |
| Valuation | $2.5 million (at the time of Shark Tank pitch) |
Charles Michael Yim, founder and CEO of Breathometer, introduces the Sharks to his smartphone breathalyzer app in episode 502. The Breathometer is part app, part hardware and is needed to read the breathalyzer, which is a small key fob designed to plug into a phone’s headphone jack. By blowing into the Breathometer, the app reads your blood alcohol level.
Yim claims the Breathometer is as reliable as any breathalyzer out there. People using the device could make intelligent and informed choices when faced with the prospect of driving after having a few cocktails. The Breathometer can tell you if you’re ready to drive or should take a cab. It is an app that has the potential to save countless lives and prevent drunk driving accidents and arrests.
The app and hardware cost $49 on a “pre-order” basis and were available to the public in the summer of 2013.
Breathometer Shark Tank Pitch
Charles started off asking for $250K for 10% of his business. Charles served the Sharks champagne and asked if they were safe to drive. He compared the Breathometer to bulky personal breathalyzers. After explaining the features, he said they launched in March after a successful Indiegogo campaign.
Mr. Wonderful had questions about liability, but Charles explained there’s no substitute for good judgment. Lori tested the Breathometer and blew a .04 – legal to drive. Charles then explained he was working on a diabetes testing app using similar hardware and technology. He invested $50K of his own money, but he needed more to produce the product.
What Makes Breathometer Unique?
At the time of its launch, it was Breathometer’s smartphone integration that made the product unique. It is a compact breathalyzer that plugs directly into your mobile’s headphone jack and pairs with an app to display your BAC. The Breathometer was designed to be portable, sleek, and user-friendly, turning any smartphone into a personal safety tool.
Other features that set it apart are:
- Affordable pricing ($49 on pre-order), making it accessible to a wider audience.
- Real-time BAC feedback to help users decide whether they are safe to drive.
- Vision beyond alcohol detection. Founder Charles Yim planned to use the same tech platform for other health diagnostics, including diabetes testing and oral health analysis (Mint).
- A mission-driven purpose to reduce drunk driving accidents through technology.
It was one of the first consumer-facing devices that blended health tech with smartphone functionality, pioneering what we now see in many personal health gadgets. After the FTC ruling, the product was no longer available.
Did Breathometer Get a Deal on Shark Tank?
Sensing the opportunity in Breathometer, Mark immediately offered $500K for 20%. Lori wanted to team up with Mark, but Mark said no. Mr. Wonderful offered $250K for 15%, and Charles explained he wants a million-dollar VC round in 60 days. Robert, Kevin, and Lori then teamed up to offer $750K for 30%.
Daymond offered $250K for 10% and unlimited manufacturing. Kevin then proposed that all Sharks go in on the deal for $1 million if Mark and Daymond agree. Daymond said he’s in if all 5 go in.
Charles said he would give Mark the Lion’s share, and the Sharks asked him to counter. Charles said $300K from Mark and $700K from the rest. Mark said he’ll go $500K for 15%, with the other Sharks pitching in $500K for another 15%, making the million-dollar offer for 30%.
Charles called his partner, who has concerns about the valuation and the ability of the Sharks to work together. Back in the Tank, Charles accepted, and thankfully, the champagne was already open! Charles was happy to raise a million bucks from all five Sharks and said he was “ecstatic!”
Breathometer Shark Tank Update
Breathometer made a big splash on Shark Tank, landing a rare five-Shark deal with a $1 million investment for 30% equity. After the episode aired, demand skyrocketed, and the company reportedly raked in $1 million in sales almost immediately.
The deal went forward. However, only Mark put up the money, while the other Sharks withdrew their money for unknown reasons.
Update Segments
Breathometer was featured in a season 5 update segment in episode 529, just a few months after the original air date. In that episode, it was revealed Yim had problems fulfilling the thousands of orders the show produced, at least initially. They have done $1 million in sales since their appearance on Shark Tank. It appeared the company was doing well.
Then came a second update in season 6, episode 604, where Yim introduced the next-gen product, the Breeze, a Bluetooth-enabled version of the breathalyzer. He developed the Breeze in the Cleveland Clinic’s breath analysis lab. They’re rolling out nationally in Brookstone and Best Buy. Yim had $1 million in sales in the first update, and he claimed the company would hit $10 million in sales that year.
But the story took a dramatic turn.
More Updates
At the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show, Breathometer made some big announcements. The company is featured in Beyond the Tank episode 207.
In January 2017, Breathometer was required to offer refunds for its devices sold between 2013 and 2015 as part of a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) since they had knowingly misrepresented their product’s accuracy.
FTC Findings
According to the FTC’s findings, Breathometer’s devices would regularly understate blood alcohol content (BAC) levels—a fact the company was fully aware of. Despite this, Breathometer opted not to inform its users of the issue and continued marketing and selling its devices. The FTC forced them to offer full refunds to customers who bought the devices between 2013 and 2015.
“People relied on the defendant’s products to decide whether it was safe to get behind the wheel,” Jessica Rich, the director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement. “Overstating the accuracy of the devices was deceptive — and dangerous.”
As of August 2021, they were still in business with an annual revenue of $1 million.
In July 2022, Mark Cuban revealed that he was the only one who ended up funding the deal, and he eventually lost his entire $500,000 investment. Cuban publicly criticized the way the company was run, stating that Charles Yim was more interested in raising money and living the Silicon Valley lifestyle than building a sustainable business.
As of August 2023, the products are no longer available. Yim claimed the company had been acquired, but there is no reliable evidence that this is so.
Breathometer’s breathalyzer app was eventually pulled from the market. While the company pivoted to a new product line called Mint, a device that analyzed oral health, it never regained its momentum. The current net worth of Breathometer is $0, as the company is no longer in business.
From one of the show’s most celebrated deals to a cautionary tale, Breathometer’s post-show journey is a reminder that smart tech, strong funding, and even star power can’t overcome flawed execution and lack of transparency.
Read more details about Breathometer Update and Breathalyzer App on the Shark Tank Blog.
Where Can You Buy It?
The company’s website is now inactive. Breathometer is not sold anywhere today. Check out their social media on Facebook and Twitter for any other details.
Quick Summary
- Charles Michael Yim pitched Breathometer on Shark Tank, seeking $250,000 for 10% equity.
- A breathometer combines a smartphone app with a breathalyzer device to measure blood alcohol content.
- Charles secured a $1 million investment from all five Sharks for 30% equity.
Check out updates of other businesses that appeared on Shark Tank Season 5 Episode 2, alongside Breathometer.
I have a feeling this product will receive the one million dollar investment.
How to contact breathometer.
The app was shut down and customers were required to be notified and offered full refunds. According to the complaint, sales of Original and Breeze totaled $5.1 million. Following the FTC controversy, Mark Cuban called Breathometer the “worst execution” in the history of Shark Tank, blaming the founder’s mismanagement of funds