Lila Shark Tank Update — Shark Tank Season 17
Created by a labor & delivery nurse, Lila transforms the standard hospital gown into a beautiful, functional, and empowering piece of maternity wear. It helps women feel confident through every stage of birth and recovery.
Caitlyn Schollmeier entered “Shark Tank Season 17 Episode 5,” pitching a comfortable, empowering, and flattering birth gown for women. She pitched her brand, Lila, which is more than an alternative to the itchy hospital birth gowns. With an amazing collection of hospital gowns for different types of bodies and women, she surprised the Sharks.
Thus, the question that loomed was, will the Sharks give any flyers to this women’s apparel brand?
About Lila
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Business Name | Lila Birth Gowns |
| Founder | Caitlyn Schollmeier |
| Industry | Women’s clothing |
| Product | Birth gowns for women in labor |
| Investment Asked | $200,000 for 5% equity |
| Deal Status | No deal |
| Valuation | $4 million |
Caitlyn Schollmeier was a nurse and is now a certified midwife. Her story began when she became a doula and designed the birth gown. While she was pregnant, she posted videos with her functional and appealing birth gown, and it went viral.
She commenced her business, Lila, after she gave birth to her twins, creating the ‘Wow’ moment on the Tank. In the beginning, she sold 2500 pre-orders in less than two hours.
Every piece of clothing, starting from labor gowns to maternity clothing, is consciously crafted, providing accessibility, comfort, and privacy.
Unlike the shapeless and itchy gowns that are seen in the hospitals, Lila’s designs are more functional. They open at the belly for a heart rate monitor, provide a lower back for an epidural, and allow breastfeeding.
The goal behind starting the Lila brand was to give women dignity back in one of the most memorable moments. Let’s have a closer look at her Shark Tank pitch.
Lila Shark Tank Pitch
Caitlyn stormed the Tank stage asking for $200,000 for 5% equity, further valuing the company at $4 million. She distributed the samples of her maternity-wear collection to the Sharks. Lori Greiner was the first Shark to praise her design thinking.
Kevin O’Leary asked about the sales of the company, which were around $7 million in 2021. The founder of the brand took the opportunity to share about the revenue generation. She made $2.5 million in the year 2024, and she is projected to make $2.7 million in the year 2025.
Caitlyn also shared her customer acquisition cost, which at that time was $4.50. Allison Ellsworth, who is a mother of three, saw the potential to grow in Lila. However, she remained skeptical about the competition.
Caitlyn also shared the margins when Allison asked about it. The gross profit margin stood at 40%, along with a net profit margin of 10%, and she sold the gowns for $69.99. Moreover, she claimed that her brand is 100% direct-to-consumer.
When Daymond John asked about the SKUs (Stock Keeping Units), she shared that it was 200, which was a shocking moment for the Sharks. Along with that, Daymond and the other Sharks were surprised to know the inventory was $800,000.
Let’s see if this one-of-a-kind brand gets any flyers from the Sharks.
What Makes Lila Unique?
There are various reasons why Lila is unique in the women’s apparel space. Let’s look at some of those.
- Lila redesigned maternity wear gowns by the amalgamation of medical use with respectful empowerment.
- Each gown offered by Lila has openings on the belly for easy fetal monitoring and breastfeeding, along with a lower back.
- Lila has brought beauty and dignity back into the birthing experience. It is a movement to make hospital gowns, especially during labor and delivery, more functional.
Did Lila Get a Deal on Shark Tank?
Caitlyn explained to the Sharks that her brand does not have enough competition, as the companies are making birth gowns that aren’t accessible. However, Robert Herjavec and Allison Ellsworth were very skeptical about the medium of sales.
With four different sizes and five styles, she had an amazing number of SKUs. However, Robert mentioned that most of the women choose to buy their maternity gown from the hospital retail store. Thus, he bowed out of the negotiations, stating that he did not know this market.
Furthermore, Kevin O’Leary refused to make an offer by brutally telling the truth, which heated the negotiation process. He stated that he would never advise going into retail, as in less than 90 days, her brand will go out of business.
Lori Greiner admitted that she does not share the same opinion as Kevin, but this was not the product she felt passionate about. Hence, she refused to offer a deal. Moreover, Daymond John, too, decided to stay out of the deal because of 200 SKUs.
Additionally, Allison bowed out of the negotiations, as she was of the opinion that there was not much growth between 2024 and 2025. Caitlyn Schollmeier had a strong vision and story, but there were certain things that couldn’t convince the Sharks.
Lila Shark Tank Update
Even though the founder of Lila, Caitlyn Schollmeier, had to leave empty-handed from the Tank, investors gave her enough advice to keep building her collection. After the episode aired, Lila saw a huge increase in customers and traction.
Where Can You Buy It?
You can purchase this maternity gown in different sizes and styles on the official website of Lila. Also, you can check their Instagram page for further information.
Quick Summary
- Caitlyn Schollmeier pitched a comfortable, empowering, and flattering birth gown for women. She came in seeking $200,000 for 5% equity.
- She designed a functional, pretty, and more respectful birth gown for women who are in labor. Moreover, she made sure that the medical team could easily use it.
- Though her story and vision were beyond perfect, all the Sharks, including the new Shark Allison, decided to stay out of the deal negotiations.
