Everything Legendary, the Prince George’s County vegan meat company that got its first five minutes of fame on ABC’s “Shark Tank” in February, has a lot cooking heading into 2022 — starting with another moment in the spotlight on the reality TV series.
The gourmet food company, which makes a plant-based burger, appeared in a status update segment on Friday’s episode after striking a deal with billionaire investor Mark Cuban earlier this year. And the Dallas Mavericks owner is still very much involved.
“Everything Legendary is a textbook case on what every entrepreneur for a consumer product should do: They go out to their customers, they don’t take no for an answer, they do pop-up stores,” Cuban said on the show. “Their energy and their relentlessness — I mean, they’re just at the beginning of what they can be.”
“Duane, I couldn’t hear a word you said,” Cuban said, laughing, after Everything Legendary’s opening pitch on the February episode.
Christopher Willard
Everything Legendary co-founders Duane “Myko” Cheers, Danita Claytor and Jumoke Jackson shared their latest business developments including a retail expansion and revenue growth since their prime-time television debut.
“The entrepreneur’s journey is a tough road. It’s emotional. If you haven’t cried about your dreams, then your dreams aren’t big enough,” Cheers said on the show. “You’re going to receive a million and one noes, but you have to keep on going, because all you need is one yes, and that one yes will change your entire life.”
The changes will continue into the new year, Cheers told us Monday. Everything Legendary — a 2021 Fire Awards winner — is now raising a Series A funding round, with more than 100 fundraising meetings under its belt since September. He’s now in talks with a few investors and working toward its close, he told us, declining to disclose specifics at this point.
The business has also doubled is headcount since the spring, now with 10 people. Its new sausage product is available at FedEx Field, and will start selling in grocery stores in early 2022, Cheers said. The company also expects its products to be available in 5,600 stores by summer.
The grocery store expansion has been the startup’s primary focus through 2021, as supply-chain issues and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic led the company to put restaurant penetration on the back burner. The company is now looking to partner with food service players and roll out new products in the next year, he said.
Everything Legendary’s products now sell in more than 1,000 locations of Giant, Safeway, Target, Walmart and other grocery stores, the co-founders said on the episode. And their appearance on the show alone led to a big bump in business, Cheers said. The company saw “a huge impact” in online sales and reports from its grocery store partners “about how much sales increased in store,” he told us.
The co-founders started Everything Legendary in 2016.
Christopher Willard
The “Shark Tank” effect comes as no surprise. When the Everything Legendary trio first brought its pitch to the show’s famed stage, they were hand-making more than 1,000 burgers a day and had reached $165,000 in sales. Then they did a fast $250,000 in the 24 hours after the episode aired. And over four months, the company has taken in $1.7 million in revenue, now with three co-packers, two national distribution centers and the bandwidth to produce more than 160,000 burgers in an hour, Cheers said on the show.
Cheers declined to disclose 2021 revenue, citing the ongoing Series A round, but said he’s projecting $28 million for 2022 revenue. The company had set out earlier this year to reach $10 million in revenue during 2021.
It’s all a far cry from what life looked like previously for Cheers, when he was broke and living in his car, he said. “‘Shark Tank’ validated every thought that we ever had,” Cheers said on the segment. “It told us that if we stay focused, if we work hard, we will be successful and most importantly we will be legendary.”
Everything Legendary is part of a growing group of Greater Washington “Shark Tank” survivors, including a handful who have scored deals just this year and others continuing to reap the benefits. Here’s a look at that alumni network.
The ABC reality show premiered in 2009 and continues to serve as a launching pad for the entrepreneurs that pitch its multimillionaire and billionaire investor panel.
Duane “Myko” Cheers, Danita Claytor and Jumoke Jackson took their Hyattsville-based company, Everything Legendary, to the primetime reality show’s infamous stage in an episode that aired Feb. 26, 2021. Their pitch: A tasty premium patty created in 2019 to help reduce health conditions among the Black community that has since gained traction across the board. The trio clinched a deal with Mark Cuban for $300,000 for 22% of the business.
Nahum Jeannot pitched his on-the-go breakfast startup, GoOats, to the show's panel — seeking $150,000 for 10% equity. Barbara Corcoran made an offer, they went back and forth, and the Alexandria entrepreneur ultimately took a deal: $150,000 for a 20% equity stake.
Mollie Thorsen and her father, Bob, sought $250,000 for a 10% stake in their business: a wheelbarrow tray for gardeners. They got two offers, from Lori Greiner and Kevin O'Leary, because they couldn't take on the royalties they were offering. The episode aired a year after they filmed it, in May 2020: as coronavirus swept across the country, forcing the Alexandria startup to pivot from brick-and-mortar retail to e-commerce.
Samy Kobrosly pitched Snacklins, a vegan pork rind — sans the pork — to the shark panel on an episode in mid-October 2019. Most of the sharks stepped out of the running for a deal, citing his lofty $10 million valuation and concern about competition within the space. But Mark Cuban took it on, ultimately settling on an agreement that gave him 5% straight equity and another 5% of advisory shares for a $250,000 investment.
John Sorial presented his frozen food business, Tysons-based TaDah Foods, to the investor panel on the fall 2019 season premiere. He had to work to win over investors, and ultimately did, with a deal from guest shark Daniel Lubetzky — founder and chief of Kind LLC — for $500,000 for a quarter of the business. It was a great fit, Sorial said, because Lubetzky “has walked the arduous miles that I have yet to walk.”
D.C. chemist and entrepreneur Eric Roy pitched his water filter business, Hydroviv, to investors of ABC’s “Shark Tank” April 14, 2019. He walked away with a handshake from Mark Cuban: $400,000 for a 20% stake — the same dollar amount Roy had sought, for 10% more than he’d planned to give away.
Potomac daily deals startup CertifiKid, now 10 years old, scored an investment from Kevin O'Leary on an April 8, 2019, episode: $600,000 in exchange for 19% of the company.
Local mother-daughter duo Sara Polon, right, and mother, Marilyn, appeared on an Oct. 21, 2018, episode of “Shark Tank,” but failed to convince the show’s investors that their plant-based soup company, Soupergirl, was worth a $5 million valuation. After filming the show in June, they got a call from guest shark and RSE Ventures CEO Matt Higgins. Now he's serving as an advisor to the company.
Jake, Jordan and Jimmy DeCicco offered 4.5 percent of startup Sunniva in exchange for $500,000 on a Feb. 11, 2018, episode. They quickly impressed the sharks with their commitment to the company and its product, Super Coffee — organic Columbian coffee beans blended with lactose-free protein and healthy fats from coconut oil. But between their high valuation and a taste some of the sharks didn't like, they couldn't get a deal.
Glenn Archer and Kevin Williams, co-founders of RGK Innovations, pitched their Brush Hero product on a Jan. 21, 2018, episode. The product is a water-powered brush that connects to a garden hose to clean everything from car and motorcycle wheels to rain gutters to patio furniture to your dog. Daymond John and Lori Greiner each made the same offer: $500,000 for 25 percent. The business partners felt it was too high, so they left the tank to think it over, which proved to be a big mistake. John revoked his offer, and Greiner revised hers: $250,000 as a loan at 7 percent interest, and an additional $250,000 for 25 percent equity. They turned it down, and left without a deal.
Daniel Turissini of D.C.-based Recharj pitched the panel on a Jan. 7, 2018, episode. He sought an investmentof $75,000 in exchange for 15 percent equity, for his nap and meditation studio. He spent his segment fighting off a barrage of cruel criticisms and pointed questions from the sharks, who, one by one, became vicious before turning him down. Here's more.
Sharmi Albrechtsen, founder and CEO of Arlington-based tech toy company SmartGurlz, landed an investment from FUBU founder Daymond John on a Nov. 12, 2017, “Shark Tank” episode: $200,000 for 25 percent of the business. Her product — a line of dolls that ride robotic “Siggy” scooters, controlled by an app that teaches girls to code — was met with fascination, but just as much hesitation, from the sharks. Here's more.
Ashburn entrepreneur Krista Woods' GloveStix product — a smell killer for athletic gear — exploded after winning a “Today Show” competition and repeatedly selling on QVC. She asked the sharks for $150,000 in exchange for 10 percent of her business on an episode that aired Nov. 5, 2017. Panel members — regulars Kevin O’Leary, Barbara Corcoran, Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner, plus retired baseball superstar Alex Rodriguez — didn’t seem sold. But she won them over, and left with a deal: $150,000 for 17.5 percent of the company, split between Greiner and Rodriguez. Here's more.
D.C. resident Andrew Bentley pitched Father Figure, his paternity clothing company and lifestyle brand, to the reality show’s panel of potential partners on an episode that aired Oct. 29, 2017. He asked for $80,000 in exchange for 15 percent equity — and not one shark took the bait. Now Bentley is working on research, surveying dads around the country about what they want to see from the company. He’s looking to hire a designer and expand his products. But he isn’t proactively looking for other investors yet. Here's more.
Joe Parisi and Nick Nevarez, founders of D.C. safety startup Guard Llama, came onto the show with a $2 million valuation — eliciting some harsh feedback from the show's investors. But real estate mogul Barbara Corcoran saw a need for the product, a fob that connects people to emergency help faster than a 911 call. They secured a $100,000 loan from Corcoran in return for an 18 percent equity stake in the business and a $2 royalty on each sale until she makes her money back. Here's more.
Surprise Ride gained attention for leaving "Shark Tank" without a deal, then luring shark Kevin O'Leary to invest $50,000 for 2.5 percent of the business. The now 4-year-old startup has continued to raise funding, with total funding to date coming to $3.1 million. Here's more.
What happens when you can’t agree to terms with Mark Cuban? That was the million-dollar question when the co-founders of Rockville-based Nexercise Inc. and creators of its Sworkit fitness app walked away from a deal with the “Shark Tank” investor and billionaire owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks. It meant the entrepreneurs would proceed without Cuban’s partnership and original offer: $1.5 million for 10 percent ownership of the business, plus $1.5 million worth of the app’s unsold ad inventory. Now the founders are executing a new plan to expand Sworkit — a mobile and web platform that offers customizable video workouts — to an entirely new customer base: patients going through rehab. Here's more.
Craig Isakow, who was torn apart by the sharks on a January 2014 episode after an over-the-top pitch for webcam cover Eyebloc, put the D.C.-based business on the back-burner and joined San Francisco-based Shift as head of partnerships. He was ready to sell his company. But growing awareness of hacking threats and the need for privacy — and high-profile public figures like Mark Zuckerberg and Pope Francis using the same method to protect themselves — have led the entrepreneur to change his game plan: He has decided to expand and monetize the brand. “There’s still some value there that I would like to try to extract,” he told me in January 2017. Here's more.
“Shark Tank” changed everything for Jordan Lloyd Bookey and Felix Brandon Lloyd. Zoobean, a subscription service that recommended educational children’s books, was a week old when the former teachers received an email from producers requesting they apply. Bookey previously thought that auditioning “seemed a little bit nutty,” she says, but they “decided to call him right then and seize that opportunity.” The episode aired about nine months after its filming, when shark Mark Cuban decided to invest $250,000 for a 16 percent stake in the business. They closed that deal in December 2013. Here's more.
In 2009 in D.C., former Capitol Hill staffers Brett Thompson, left, and Heath Hall, were building a barbecue business — the same year ABC was debuting the new reality show. The co-founders of Pork Barrel BBQ secured an investment from Barbara Corcoran on the show's first season: $50,000 for half of the business. She was their first investor. Here's more.
"Shark Tank" was ValPark Mobile founder Wayne Johnson's first investor meeting. He didn't get a deal, but the show's impact was seen immediately. “We got slammed,” Johnson said in 2016. “It took me two or three weeks just to filter through all of the emails — from potential investors, people saying thanks, people trying to work with you or for you. We probably got about 200 resumes.” Here's more.
Joanne S. Lawton
Keep Digging
Why this biotech moved its HQ out of MoCo — and what’s on deck in 2022
This female-led unicorn just raised more money
Exclusive: Local biotech entrepreneur launches autism-focused VC fund
This working mom needed a lifeline. A career change opened new doors.
More startup funding is flowing to ‘rising cities’ — including D.C.
Recommended
the Beat
Want to stay ahead of who & what is next? Sent twice-a-week, the Beat is your definitive look
at Washington, D.C.’s innovation economy, offering news, analysis & more on the people,
companies & ideas driving your region forward.
