Shark Tank Season 17 Episode 1

By Harsh Vardhan  |  Last updated: September 26, 2025

Shark Tank Season 17 premiered on September 24, 2025, marking the first season without longtime Shark Mark Cuban. The premiere episode set the stage for a new era, featuring celebrity-backed startups, family-run legacies, cutting-edge technology, and even dad-approved beer.

Even without Mark Cuban, the show kept rolling, and Season 17’s opener delivered a mix of ideas. There were everyday products like socks, inventive ones like spring shoes, and high-tech standouts like the Pelagion HydroBlade.

The episode closed with Dad Strength Brewing, a beer designed to let you enjoy more than one without paying for it the next morning.

Shark Tank Season 17 Episode 1 – The Shark Investors and Entrepreneurs

One of the best places to start on Shark Tank is the very first episode. You get fresh Sharks ready to grip their Midas jaws into up-and-coming enterprises. Keep reading to see how the season 17 debutants fared on the much-awaited Mark Cuban-less return of the show.

1. Doublesoul

The Shark Tank producers weren’t holding back on the star power for the return of the new season. For the first pitch of the night, New York’s very own Pete Davidson walked in on stage. This wasn’t a part of any SNL skit. He was with the co-founder of Doublesoul, Ben Rosenbaum.

Ben started the company with his wife, Allison Strumeyer, whom he met while studying at the University of Pennsylvania. With his background in private equity and her experience running operations at a fitness startup, the two decided to team up and build the business together.

After the preliminaries were done, Ben and Pete wasted no time. They asked for $500,000 in exchange for 4% stake in the company. They described their socks as a mix of comfort and fashion, not your average athletic or novelty pair.

The design includes cushioned bottoms, breathable tops, and a snug but comfortable fit around the ankle. Made from organic cotton with some recycled nylon, the socks balance quality with sustainability.

Pete revealed he owns 10% of the business and has invested between $1 and $2 million, which pushed the company’s valuation to $12.5 million. Ben explains they launched in 2022 and have already hit $5.2 million in lifetime sales.

Their growth took off when the socks started trending on social media, where people styled them with different looks and aesthetics.

Kendra is the first Shark to show real interest. She says she’s always wanted a sock brand and already runs 152 stores where the product could be sold. She offers $500,000 for 10%, putting the company’s valuation at $5 million.

Rashaun then jumps in with a valuation offer of $8 million, but he wants triple liquidation preference. Kevin O’Leary teams up with him, putting $500,000 on the table for 6.25% equity and a 25-cent royalty until $1.5 million is repaid.

Ben refutes this Sharky proposition, saying that their current investor agreements leave no room for this. He is praised for showing loyalty to the pre-existing investors, which prompts Rashaun to walk away.

Ben tries countering Kendra at 6%, but she holds her ground, stressing that she brings retail distribution and brand partnerships along with her investment.

After taking a break from the stage to check with their partner Allison on the phone, the founders accepted Kendra’s original offer of $500,000 for 10%.

2. Z-CoiL

The next pitch came from Z-CoiL, a family-founded shoe brand with deep roots. The idea started with Alvaro Z. Gallegos in the late 1980s. After losing his wife, Alvaro raised eight children on his own while working in the shoe business.

One day while running, he imagined a design that could change the way people move, and the concept for Z-CoiL was born.

Now his son, Andres, leads the company as CEO alongside his daughter and General Manager Lindley Gallegos Bach, who comes from a marketing background. The team asked for $250,000 for 10% of the company. They explained that their shoes, thanks to a built-in spring, reduce impact by 50%, making them perfect for walking, hiking, or long-standing/walking hours on the job.

After finding out that they had been in business for 30 years without a mainstream breakthrough, all the Sharks backed out one by one. After hearing the Customer Acquisition Cost, Kevin even commented, “I don’t like these numbers. I am out.”

The pitch was all wrapped up, and the founders had digested the criticism and started walking off. But then Lori Greiner came sweeping in and made a vicious yet helpful offer of $250,000 for 50% ownership.

Andres and Lindley accepted the offer on the spot. Lindley even said Lori Greiner was exactly the partner they needed to usher the brand on shelves everywhere.

3. Pelagion

Founder Jamie Schlinkmann and Head of Business Development Mike Terry bought out their product called Pelagion next.

They bring Hydroblade to the table, i.e, a sleek, electric alternative to traditional watercraft. It cuts down on noise, maintenance, and storage problems. They asked for $800,000 in exchange for 4% of the company.

Jamie’s interest in marine tech goes back to his childhood, when he had a Kawasaki stand-up jet ski. By the mid-1990s, he was working in the automation industry, but the urge to create something waterborne never subsided since childhood. And with that, Pelagion officially started in 2021.

The Hydroblade lets riders stand, steer, and glide silently for up to four hours at speeds of 40 miles per hour. Its three hydro foam points make it stable and easy to handle.

The Hydroblade they brought to the Sharks was still a prototype, built in their own machine shop. In 2024, they generated around $2 million in sales, and as of September 2025, they’ve made $1 million from 19 pre-orders.

The product retails for $25,000 and costs $12,500 to make. Given the high price, this immediately raised some Sharks’ eyebrows. To make matters worse, a tense moment arose when Kevin suggested pairing the product with another brand, and Jamie responded strongly.

Because of this, and the exorbitant prices, none of the Sharks felt comfortable investing. Kendra quite sternly pointed to the high valuation and Jamie’s behavior as reasons to pass. To no one’s surprise, Jamie and Mike left the tank without a deal.

4. Dad Strength Brewing

After the heated shenanigans of Pelagion, it was time to crack open a chilled one to relax on the Tank.

The last pitch of the night came from Dad Strength Brewing, founded by the eponymous dads Ryan Kutscher and Craig Carey.

The founding father duo go way back, having gone to college together. Craig had previously built and sold a restaurant chain called Big Buns, while Ryan worked in advertising and branding before losing his own agency. Their shared drive to brew something of their own led them to start the beer brand.

They explained that most craft beers today are strong. The problem with that? Harsh hangovers. To solve this, they teamed up with a World Beer Cup Gold Medal-winning brewer to make a “dad-icated” beer with just 2.9% alcohol.

It offers a light buzz in only 94 calories. It is essentially a goodbye to beer bellies and hangovers. In just over ten months, they’ve already made $230,000 in sales. Initially, they were only selling their product from Ryan’s pickup truck. With only this, the return on investment hit 100%. They expect to reach $500,000 in revenue in 2025.

It was a no-brainer for the Sharks, and offers came flooding in. Kevin was the first one to make an offer. He already has his hands in the wine and tequila business, so it was familiar territory for him. Mr. Wonderful suggested $250,000 for a third of the company.

Kevin’s aspirations were hijacked by the allied forces of Rashaun, Robert, and Lori. Rashaun and Robert jointly offered $250,000 for 10%. Lori joined them to bring a combined $300,000 offer for 5% equity of her own. Craig countered with $300,000 for 12%, and the group agreed. It was one of the smoothest deals Shark Tank has ever witnessed.

New Dynamics and Investors, Same Shark Tank Thrill

Shark Tank Season 17 Episode 1 proved the show still packs a punch without Mark Cuban. From Pete Davidson-backed Doublesoul socks to Lori Greiner’s bold bet on Z-CoiL, and the smooth multi-Shark deal for Dad Strength Brewing, the premiere set the stage for an unpredictable season full of ambition and high-stakes negotiations.

By Harsh Vardhan

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Harsh is a skilled content writer with a background in film and environmental journalism and a passion for breaking down complex ideas. He specializes in the world of Shark Tank, turning pitches into clear, engaging stories that everyone can understand. While the Sharks focus on the business, Harsh makes sure to understand each Shark Tank pitch from every angle, bringing the audience closer to the minds of rising entrepreneurs.