Smart Plate – the FitBit of Plates

There are smart phones, smart watches, smart door bells – why not a smart plate? The folks at Fitly thought making a plate that could count calories would be a neat idea, so they went out and raised over $100K on Kickstarter to get it made. Martin Dell’Arciprete pitches the invention in Shark Tank episode 721.

The Smart Plate is a plate divided into three sections. Each section has a small digital camera to take pictures of the food in it. Built-in scales weigh the food. That information is synched up, via an app, with a USDA database, then the app calculates the amount of calories on the plate. You can even synch your SmartPlate with a Fitbit so you get a total picture of calorie intake and expenditure. There’s even built-in artificial intelligence, so the SmartPlate can “learn” more about your eating habits.

It’s geared towards people who want to count calories closely and those with special dietary needs. They claim it is dishwasher safe (except for the charger). The product is still in production and is available on a pre-order basis only and they expect to ship in the late summer/early fall of 2016. Smart Plate likely wants a Shark to help with production costs. Will a Shark think this is a smart investment?

My Take on the Smart Plate

When I first saw this, I thought of the Jetsons. Using technology to count calories was inevitable, we’re using it for everything else! I personally think the technology is cool, but I’d probably never own one.

I guess I am a Luddite when it comes to apps doing everything for me. I know there are a lot of people who want technology to help them with every little thing, but I personally draw the line at the dinner table. I don’t want a plate “scolding” me for eating too much spaghetti!

I acknowledge Smart Plate could help a lot of people reach their dietary goals and it could come in handy for people on a restricted diet, but it’s not for me. I’ll stick to regular plates, thank you.

Do Sharks Get Smart?

Whenever a technology-based company comes into the Tank, the “tech Sharks” are the target. I can see Mr. Dell’Arciprete pitching to Kevin, Mark, and Chris. They’re the only Sharks likely to bid on the business – Barbara and Daymond will likely be out early.

The question is, will Kevin, mark or Chris think the technology is worthy of an investment. Valuation is going to play a big part of this pitch, since they are both pre-revenue AND pre-sales. The Sharks that want to bid will need a nice slice of the pie to get a deal and I am not sure the SmartPlate brain trust will want to give up a big bite. My guess is there will be some interest from the Sharks, but SmartPlate will decline.