College Junior Kaeya Majmundar pitches her product called BZ Box to the Sharks in the Shark Tank Season 5 Finale on May 16. BZ Box is a “patent pending, innovative, space-saving, and unique storage solution” that Kaeya created while still a student at Emory College.
She hasn’t come to market yet, but she’s won lots of contests: 1st Place in 2012 the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization Elevator Pitch Competition, the CEO Peoples’ Choice Award Winner, and 3rd Place in the 2013 Charlotte Venture Challenge Student Business Competition. Clearly the young woman knows how to pitch her product!
What makes the BZBox unique is the design. Unlike standard cardboard boxes, the BZ Box folds up without breaking down the box and quickly unfolds for re-use. Kaeya wanted to “figure out a way to create a new design for packing boxes, using origami. The idea was for the boxes to open up without assembly and to be reusable.” It’s sure to be a popular item with college students – who tend to pack up and move every few months, but moving companies would like them, too. There could also be some uses for companies who ship products.
My Take on BZ Box
I’m actually surprised nobody invented something like this before. It’s such a simple concept, but Kaeya thought it up first. I suppose I’d use these if they were available and I was in the market for a box; it’s just not something you think about until you need it. That’s the beauty of the product: it’s something everyone uses and there haven’t been a heck of a lot of innovations in cardboard boxes. I think it’s a product that would sell well in the packaging space. I am IN.
Do Sharks Pack Up an Investment?
Kaeya clearly has the stuff to impress the Sharks, who often invest in the entrepreneur as much as the product. I think she’ll come off well in front of the Sharks, but will they like her product? BZBox has no sales yet, they don’t even have a website! On the company Facebook page, it says “coming soon to stores,” but it doesn’t say what stores. This usually isn’t the mark of someone who gets a deal, but I think Kaeya boxes up one of the Sharks.
There aren’t as many true start-ups on the show as there were in earlier seasons. Kaeya and her business are what a lot of fans think Shark Tank should be all about: smart entrepreneurs with good products and ideas who need a bit of money and advice to have their business explode. BZ Box fits that mold and its uniqueness ought to make for multiple offers.
I suggest using the box at higher end retail. Something like Crate & Barrel (ok maybe not high end in NYC). Or specialty food to go. The magic with this box is not in packing at home. It’s the cool factor using it. I hereby release all rights to this suggestion.
Unfortunately, Kaeya suffers for a massive sense of entitlement. Her performance on the show was, quite honestly, abysmal. My assessment is that she is a talented designer, but she doesn’t understand how business works and doesn’t have the finesse to be a true entrepreneur.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yf0r9kebIyI
28:15