It's a deal for Wellington startup The Transformation Factory.
The health supplement brand won a $600,000 investment on a recent episode of "Shark Tank" after CEO Alexiou Gibson struck a deal with judges Mark Cuban, the billionaire owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, and actor Kevin Hart.
The Transformation Factory sells edible sea moss gel, a substance that Gibson said helped him lose 300 pounds.
His weight loss journey began at age 21, when he weighed 500 pounds. Gibson said he didn't understand how the weight was impacting his health until he had a blunt conversation with a physician.
"It wasn't until my doctor told me that I wouldn't live to see my 30th birthday that I really understood how serious I needed to be about living," Gibson said.
To drop the weight, Gibson switched to a vegan diet, exercised twice a day and incorporated sea moss into his diet. Sea moss, touted as a "superfood," is a source of nutrients like calcium, zinc, magnesium and vitamins B2 and B12.
The Transformation Factory's website sells sea moss gels in a variety of flavors that can be blended into smoothies.
On "Shark Tank," Gibson told the judges he wanted to get his product stocked at major retailers and asked for $500,000 in exchange for 5% of the startup. After rejecting bids from "Sharks" Kevin O'Leary and Barbara Corcoran, Gibson accepted Cuban and Hart's offer for $600,000 for a 20% stake.
For more stories like this one, sign up for Miami Inno newsletters from the South Florida Business Journal and the American Inno network.
