Edible spoon maker IncrEDIBLE Eats – which makes its debut on ABC's “Shark Tank” this Friday – started at an ice cream shop.
Co-founder Dinesh Tadepalli was with his kid, throwing away the cup and the plastic spoon, when he couldn’t help but see the “hundreds” of discarded plastic utensils already in the bin.
‘How come, as an educated person, I never thought twice about using a plastic spoon?” he said. “It’s going to be on the earth for hundreds of years.”
He went home and began researching plastic pollution, how, in a single day, 100,000 plastic utensils are discarded.
Tadepalli, an engineer by trade, decided to go all in on the solution. He sold his house in California. He emptied out his savings account. And recently, he decided to relocate to Morrisville to save money – all to push forward his startup, IncrEDIBLE Eats, which manufactures edible spoons in flavors such as vanilla, chocolate and oregano, both to catering companies and direct-to-consumer.
Tadepalli, who still has his day job at Intel (Nasdaq: INTL), said the "Shark Tank" appearance isn’t about the money. It’s about the message.
Tadepalli refuses to take a paycheck from IncrEDIBLE Eats, saying he won’t do so until his products make a real dent in the plastic industry. All of the profits go directly back into the company, which he said pulled in $150,000 in revenue in 2020 and is on track for $300,000 in 2021, with just a “few thousand of dollars in advertising.”
The margins, which he said range between 30 and 50 percent, don’t matter either, he said. If he could replace a million plastic spoons with edibles, he said, he’d consider a 10 percent margin.
“Money isn’t the point,” he said. The point is saving the planet – a goal that keeps him up at night.
“I want the impact first, then the money,” Tadepalli said. And a show like “Shark Tank” can make a big impact, he said.
“Shark Tank” first approached Tadepalli in 2020. Then in California, Tadepalli had won a string of pitch competitions, which got him on producers’ radar. But talks fizzled because they said the show wouldn’t allow him to appear due to his immigrant visa status. In 2021, they approached him again.
“I told them that my green card process had started … they made their rules flexible,” he said. And after a few rounds of auditions, he was in.
It remains to be seen whether the Sharks buy in. But North Carolina entrepreneurs have had several successes on the show:
See how North Carolina entrepreneurs have fared after appearing on 'Shark Tank.'
How NC entrepreneurs have fared after 'Shark Tank'
Kevin Flannery, the Cary-based founder of Wispots, told sharks in the 2009 premiere episode that he had taken out two mortgages so he could support his company, which created what he described as an interactive patient center. But the sharks were taken aback by the product’s $10,000 price tag and failed to invest.
Duke University-born Kalyx Technologies, a startup making comfortable sports bras, was unable to secure an investment when the team presented on Shark Tank in 2009. The company was founded by former golfer and Duke grad Kimberly Cayce, who later sold the firm to ActivewearUSA.
Fayetteville entrepreneur Ken Howell presented Uncle Zip’s Beef Jerky to the sharks in 2011 and left without an investment.
Wilmington’s Freaker USA, which created one-size-fits-all beverage insulators appeared on "Shark Tank" in 2012, but didn’t close an investment with a shark.
Sparta-based inventor Donny McCall tried to sell sharks on a retractable cargo rack dubbed the Invis-a-Rack in 2012. But, after he declined to listen when they told him he should manufacture his product overseas, they rejected him for an investment.
According to his LinkedIn profile, McCall is president of roof rack manufacturer Perrycraft Inc.
Recycled sneaker firm Remyxx, the brainchild of Charlotte entrepreneur Gary Gagnon, appeared on "Shark Tank" in 2012, securing a $50,000 investment pledge from Daymond John (pictured), though the deal reportedly fell through.
Gagnon’s LinkedIn profile lists him as the director of business development at Microban International.
Cramerton entrepreneur Julie Busha presented Slawsa – a cross between a coleslaw and a salsa – on "Shark Tank" in 2013 and walked out without an investment.
Mooresville entrepreneur Tigere Chriga presented The Floating Mug Co to "Shark Tank" in 2014. The cup – a combination of mug and coaster – was unable to secure an investment.
EvREwares Sticky Ties turned down Mark Cuban’s $200,000 offer to buy their company in 2015. Raleigh entrepreneurs Ellie Brown and Becca Nelson would say later that, following their episode, it was tough going for the firm, which sold tie-shaped stickers. The internet was full of comments from people skeptical about their business model. “I guess we never really anticipated what would happen from a social perception,” Brown said in 2015. The firm would later close up shop.
Frill Clothing is still in operation, though its Raleigh founders are no longer leading the company. Sharon Bui and Kate Steadman, graduates of N.C. State and Appalachian State, respectively, were 19-year-old college students when they founded sorority-focused fashion firm Frill in 2012. The company was able to secure a $100,000 deal with not one, but two sharks – Barbara Corcoran and Kevin O’Leary – in 2015.
![Twin Z Pillow Co Barsosky[1]](https://media.bizj.us/view/img/6784642/twin-z-pillow-co-barsosky1*540xx1200-800-0-71.jpg)
Technically, Twin Z Pillow Co was a New Hampshire company when it secured a $75,000 investment from shark Lori Greiner in 2015, though Michelle Barsosky is an N.C. State University graduate. Michelle and Jason Barsosky moved their headquarters to commercial space in Mooresville that same year, however. The firm, which makes nursing pillows for twins, is still selling, according to its website.
Raleigh’s David Cohen presented Sunscreenr, a device that detects spots you might have missed when applying sunscreen, to sharks in 2016. Cohen left the tank with an $800,000 pledge from “Mr. Wonderful” Kevin O’Leary (pictured). But the deal never ended up closing, according to what Cohen wrote in a 2017 Kickstarter pitch.
The product is listed on the firm's website - a UV camera for Android devices, starting at $139.
Husband and wife duo Patrick and Harriet Mills surprised the sharks in 2018, bringing in a nude male model to show how their franchised art studios work. The couple landed a $500,000 from shark Kevin O'Leary, but lawsuits between Harriet Mills and co-founder Emmy Preiss show the deal fell through.
Cary entrepreneur Shane Cox presented his throwable microphone ball on "Shark Tank" in 2017. Mark Cuban, Rohan Oza and Lori Greiner (pictured) signed on for a $300,000 investment.
