Neo Innovations’ founders promised the sharks a tattoo remover you could use at home for a fraction of the cost of laser removal. Then the waters got choppy.
Tuning into ABC’s hit reality series «Shark Tank» has always been a bit of an adventure, since viewers never know when a product pitch might go embarrassingly sideways, as with Season 10’s cringe-worthy Haven Door Lock. But fans who’ve been around since the show’s earliest days might argue the first few seasons delivered some of the more intriguing pitches and out-there products. That was, arguably, the case with a Season 4 pitch from Neo Innovations, not so much because founders Nick Gonzalez and Kevin Mack went wonky in their presentation, but because their product proved as potentially problematic as it was undoubtedly innovative.
The product the duo pitched in the season’s 18th episode was the Black Magic IPL, a hand-held at-home device designed to fade, and ultimately remove, tattoos over time. Gonzalez and Mack walked into the «Shark Tank» studio hot to put their best pitch forward, and though they initially seemed to have the ear of at least a shark or two, the investment waters got choppy when the panelists started asking some difficult questions about the device’s safety.
As regular «Shark Tank» viewers can attest, once a pitch starts going downhill, it’s hard to get back in control and close a deal. To that point, the Neo Innovations co-founders faced an uphill battle in convincing someone to back their product. Here’s a look at what ultimately became of Neo Innovations and its tattoo-removal device after its Season 4 appearance on «Shark Tank.»What happened to Neo Innovations on Shark Tank?
Nick Gonzalez and Kevin Mack stepped in front of the «Shark Tank» panel seeking $80,000 in return for a 20% stake in their company. The ask was hardly a big one, particularly as the upside for the Black Magic tattoo remover could be huge, since tattoo removal has historically been dominated by high-priced procedures that utilize laser technology.
