Joelle Flynn and Sonia Hounsell pitch Funkkoff!, their portable tooth cleaning solution, in Shark Tank episode 1414. They formed the business in 2019 after Flynn attended a wine tasting tour in Napa Valley. She had a toothbrush and toothpaste with her to clean her teeth after each vineyard stop. As she pulled her lipstick case from her purse, she envisioned a tooth refresher in a similar, compact form. When she got home, she put together her first prototype out of a Chapstick tube and the head of her electric toothbrush.
She immediately contacted her lifelong friend, Sonia, for help and they set off on their journey together. They make a good team. Flynn is formerly the youngest stock broker at Bank of America and has a background in start-ups. Hounsel has a background in branding and marketing and has worked in that capacity for a variety of businesses including McKinsey & Company.
The flagship product for Funkkoff! is their patented TeethRefreshers, a lipstick-sized tooth brush and built in tooth paste dispenser. Inside is an all natural, digestible, vegan peppermint & vanilla tooth gel. Each product should last 30 days or so. One TeethRefresher will set you back $22. They get cheaper as you buy more in one of their bundles. They’re available in 50 or so independent retailers, the company website and Amazon.
They got things started with a successful IndieGoGo campaign that raised $34,571 and a successful Kickstarter campaign that raised $ $34,045 in January, 2020. They didn’t deliver until nearly 2 years later due to supply chain issues surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, they want a Shark’s help bringing Funkkoff! to the masses.
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FUNKKOFF! Shark Tank Recap
Joelle and Sonia enter the Shark Tank seeking $250,000 for 5% equity in their company. Joelle asks how many times have you had food in your teeth and nobody told you. She says “we call it funk, and you need it off.” Soniia says “we all get funk and we need to get it off quickly and discreetly while on the go.”
They introduce their product and say you refresh your breath with gum, your lips with lipstick and now you can refresh your teeth with FUNKKOFF Teeth Refreshers. Joelle demonstrates how to use it and Sonia points out the mirror on the bottom.
Joelle tells the story of how she came up with the idea on the winery tour. They have 10 total patents. Sonia tells how she worked for major brands like Trident gum. Joelle reached out to her friend and Sonia says she and Joelle have been “running ever since.”
They sell on their website, Amazon and they’re in 50 stores and dental offices. They’ve raised $675,00 and put in $325,000 of their own money. They just started selling in July, 2021 and lifetime sales are $80,000. They need the Shark’s money for inventory and to scale up. Mark doesn’t like the fact that they only have $50,000 in the bank. They spent the money on designing the product. Each one costs $7.50 landed and sells for $22. They are not profitable and they’re down $130,000.
Robert thinks they should be in 7/11 and airport gift shops. Mark thinks they should be in bars and restaurants. They have 2800 units in stock and they’re introducing a toothpaste line. Mark thinks their marketing misses the mark. Robert likes the idea and he thinks it needs to be ubiquitous; he was turned off by their sales. It’s too small for him; he’s out.
Emma tells them to get that big retailer on board, but it’s too small for her; she’s out. Lori says she’ll use the product, but she’s out. Kevin says they needed more sales to get him involved; he’s out. Mark loves the product, but he’s out too. As the women turn to leave the Tank, Robert says every year, his wife asks him why he didn’t invest in a product and this is one he thinks she’d like. He offers $250,000 for 12%. The women accept.
FUNKKOFF! Shark Tank Update
The Shark Tank Blog constantly provides updates and follow-ups about entrepreneurs who have appeared on the Shark Tank TV show. On show night, they completely sold out of all their inventory. The first rerun of this episode in June, 2023, is just 3 months after the original air date. At this time, there is no evidence the deal with Robert closed. They are now in 55 stores, mostly in the New York and Washington DC areas. Reliable revenue figures are unavailable at this time. As of October, 2023, the deal with Robert has not closed.
The Shark Tank Blog will follow-up on FUNKKOFF! & Joelle Flynn and Sonia Hounsell as more details become available.
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