No Limbits Shark Tank Update – Shark Tank Season 13
Erica Cole pitched No Limbits, her adaptive clothing line for amputees, seeking investment from the Sharks to expand her inclusive fashion brand.
Erica Cole hoped to hook a Shark for No Limbits, her line of adaptive clothing for amputees, in Shark Tank Season 13, Episode 18.
Check out other Shark Tank Season 13 Episodes.
About No Limbits
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Business Name | No Limbits |
| Founder | Erica Cole |
| Industry | Adaptive Fashion |
| Product | Adaptive clothing for amputees |
| Deal Status | Deal secured with Mark and Emma |
| Investment Asked | $100,000 for 6% equity |
| Deal Outcome | $100,000 for 10% equity |
| Valuation | $1.67 million (At the time of the Shark Tank pitch) |
Erica’s business perfectly embodied the mentality that “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade”. After losing her leg in an automobile accident, she found that her clothes no longer fit over her prosthetic.
Then, Erica started by creating decorative covers for her prosthetic leg, using her sewing skills. This eventually evolved into designing jeans with zippers. These jeans make it easy to get her prosthetic leg in and out of them.
Initially, Erica wasn’t sure about pursuing No Limbits as a business, since she had graduated with a degree in chemistry from the University of Iowa.
But when she started winning pitch competitions, she landed a spot in the Target Incubator, a three-month program for early-stage startups that want to make life better for people and the planet. Getting accepted gave her the push she needed to go all in and run No Limbits full time.
Erica kicked things off with a successful Kickstarter campaign that raised $14,236 in May 2021, and the backers got their products by December that year.
After that, she started selling jeans for both men and women with amputations. The jeans had zippers for easy access to adjust prosthetics and extra padding to cut down on wear from the carbon parts.
Erica also had plans to expand into “sensory-friendly” clothing for people with heightened sensitivities, and she was working on designs for wheelchair-friendly jeans too.
She likely hoped a Shark would help her bring these new ideas to life.
No Limbits Shark Tank Recap
Erica entered the Shark Tank seeking $100,000 for 6% of her business. She talked about the challenges people with disabilities faced when getting dressed, then demonstrated the adaptive pants she was wearing.
The Sharks examined the samples in front of them, and when Erica mentioned denim, Emma perked up with interest. There were also samples of the new wheelchair-friendly pants and sensory-friendly fabrics.
Robert asked about the size of the market, which Erica said was $2.6 billion. Emma shared that she had experience with accessible clothing, and Erica added that it was easier to secure patents in this niche. She explained that the jeans cost $18 landed and sold for $70, a price Emma thought was fair for jeans.
Erica said their Facebook ads cost about $14 per customer to run but were shared widely. She also hoped to expand sales by working with healthcare centers and medical providers.
Erica explained how her accident had opened her eyes to challenges she never would have faced otherwise. Emma agreed that people shouldn’t have to sacrifice style for accessibility.
At the time of the pitch, Erica had generated $26,000 in sales on her sewing machine, excluding the Kickstarter revenue, though she did have a $100,000 purchase order from the VA.
In the end, Emma and Mark teamed up to offer $100,000 for 12%. Erica countered with $100,000 for 10%, and Mark and Emma agreed to the deal.
What Made No Limbits Unique?
No Limbits is unique for its focus on thoughtfully designed clothing for people with disabilities. The features include the following:
- uses discreet, easy-to-use zippers
- soft, comfortable fabrics
- fits that take different mobility needs into account
No Limbits Shark Tank Update
The deal with Mark and Emma closed, and in the months after the show aired, No Limbits’ monthly revenue grew to $15,000.
Erica announced that she would launch in VA clinics in the spring of 2022 and relocated the company to Richmond, Virginia, to work with the business incubator Lighthouse Labs.
The exposure from Shark Tank paid off as hundreds of health clinics reached out, and Erica aimed to have No Limbits products in over 3,000 clinics within the year. The company also received plenty of wholesale inquiries from major retailers.
Erica used Mark and Emma’s investment to hire eight people to help manage the growth. She described her investors as her dream team: Emma brought fashion industry connections, and Mark knew how to scale businesses.
In December 2022, No Limbits secured $1.4 million in seed funding from Halcyon Angels and The Disability Opportunity Fund, with Mark and Emma also contributing a portion.
Erica said both Sharks had been instrumental in helping her tackle supply chain challenges.
The company received an update segment in season 14 wherein Erica shared how she had struggled to dress herself after her amputation.
Before Shark Tank, she had just $70,000 in lifetime sales, but after appearing on the show, she brought in another $130,000 in sales.
Erica expanded her business into Walmart and secured placements in hundreds of prosthetic, wheelchair, and VA clinics. No Limbits also partnered with Zappos, and Erica projected $1.2 million in revenue for 2023.
Emma praised Erica for being her own customer and truly understanding what people needed, while Mark called it amazing that people with prosthetic limbs could finally access stylish clothing.
The company was also featured on the Runway of Dreams at New York Fashion Week. Erica said that building the business had given her a renewed sense of purpose.
In a July 2024 check-in, it was revealed that the company had hit $1 million in sales for 2023. Erica believed that adaptive clothing could grow into a $400 billion market within just a few years.
The estimated net worth of No Limbits is around $1.46 million.
Posts About No Limbits on Shark Tank Blog
Read more information about this product that focuses on Adaptive Clothing on the Shark Tank Blog.
Where Can You Buy It?
No Limbits clothing products are available on their official website and on Amazon. Apart from that, they have an active presence on social media such as Facebook and Instagram.
Quick Summary
- Erica Cole presents No Limbits, adaptive clothing for amputees, on Shark Tank.
- She seeks $100,000 for 6% equity to grow her business and develop new products.
- She secures a deal with Mark Cuban and Emma Grede for $100,000 for 10% equity.
Want to dive deeper? Here are more businesses from the same episode.
