Here's What Went Down With KissTixx After Shark Tank

If you watched "Shark Tank" way back in 2012, you may remember a pretty unique invention coming in front of the Sharks: kiss-friendly lip balms. Yes, you read that right.

Founded by entrepreneur Dallas Robinson, KissTixx was a business of specialty flavored lip balms designed specifically for enhancing the kiss experience. Speaking to Business Interviews back in 2012, the Utah Valley University graduate shared that he decided to create his own range of lip balms after feeling dissatisfied with other brands on the market. "Nothing seemed to work or taste good. I was also trying to kiss the ladies and with dry chapped lips, nobody wanted to get near me. Worst of all, even if the lip balms worked well they tasted gross — like cough syrup or worse," he said. "That's when I had the idea to invent high quality lip balm in great tasting flavors that mix when you kiss — helping me in the love department." The businessman then teamed up with fellow Utah Valley University student Mike Bounomo on the venture, and the two began working together to develop their products.

But as Robinson and Buonomo started to get the business moving, they soon realized they needed an investor onboard to really take things from a peck to a full-on make out session. This is where the notorious Sharks came into the picture.

Dallas Robinson and Mike Bounomo confidently pitched their novel brand on "Shark Tank," asking for $200,000 in exchange for 20% of the kissing balm company. The entrepreneurs impressed the Sharks when they revealed the business had brought in an impressive $80,000 worth of sales that year alone, in addition to landing a $540,000 order from Walgreens (but there's more to come on that later). Something that didn't impress all the Sharks, though? Kevin O'Leary (aka Mr. Wonderful) and Barbara Corcoran testing the flavors by sharing a kiss! Really. But, despite the lip lock, Corcoran made it clear she wouldn't be investing.

In the end, Mark Cuban proved to be a bigger fan of the flavor blending brand, though. He offered the duo the full amount of cash they were looking for but wanted double the amount of equity they initially offered. "I think you could be fun, hip, innovative and kind of a little bit edgy, which is cool. But the other good news is, as you grow, I'll be there to help you finance all that other inventory without asking you for more equity," Cuban explained to the duo. Daymond John and Robert Herjavec also made it clear they were interested, but decided they couldn't make a better offer than Cuban's. So, with just one Shark in the running, Robinson and Bounomo decided to make a deal. The two walked away with $200,000 and a new business partner.

Following KissTixx's appearance on "Shark Tank," the company just kept on growing. Dallas Robinson explained to Business Interviews that just like with Tania Speaks Organic Skincare, Mark Cuban's involvement in the company had been nothing short of amazing. He explained they'd used his cash injection to create enough stock to fulfil their existing orders and were looking towards new deals. "[Cuban] has also connected us with valuable contacts from distributors to retail brokers. His name awareness has also opened a lot of doors. As a small company, vendors and distributors sometimes question our ability to meet demand," Robinson shared, revealing they'd received a flurry of business thanks to the Shark. He revealed to Forbes later that year that they'd sold more than 5,500 units thanks to the show. "We had to keep adding memory to our server. There was even a time or two our system entirely crashed," Bounomo shared.

Robinson also opened up to the outlet about the influx of sales KissTixx received thanks to their TV appearance on the ABC series, noting that the brand had expanded tis reach to seven countries. "Not only did millions of people see us, but we also have a legacy of success. People can watch the re-runs and see exactly what we do and the Shark's reaction and investment. It has been a real positive experience," he shared.

Despite the huge influx in sales KissTixx saw following its "Shark Tank" appearance, the business failed to create a long-lasting spark (The story is quite similar to that of Laid Brand, another company with kissing connotations that appeared on the series). Mike Bounomo eventually left KissTixx behind in 2016, which seemed to spell the end for the business. The brand, which was once very active on social media, shared its final Instagram upload in August 2015 and hasn't shared any updates on the company on Twitter nor its other social profiles ever since. The company's website is also out of action.

Exactly why KissTixx went out of business seems to be a little hush, hush, though the company was shrouded in some controversy following its appearance on "Shark Tank." In July 2012, Forbes revealed that the brand's supposed deal with Walgreens wasn't actually a purchase order as Dallas Robinson and Mike Bounomo claimed in the Tank. Instead, it was actually vendor paperwork, which suggests it was more likely to have been a proposed offer than a done deal. Over on LinkedIn, Robinson listed himself as president and CEO in charge of hiring new employees and working on sales and marketing until December 2021.

Despite KissTixx going under, co-founders Dallas Robinson and Mike Bounomo didn't leave the world of business entirely. According to Robinson's LinkedIn account, he's been a partner at M-7 Agency, a marketing and communications firm, since August 2021. And it seems like he's still using the skills he learned working with Mark Cuban. "The 'Shark Tank' experience helped me learn and grow in multiple business environments and gain skills from retail sales, branding, marketing, E-commerce development and scaling, social media marketing and helped launch me into several ventures and opportunities," he wrote on his account.

As for Bounomo, he appears to have kept his career post-KissTixx a little more private. After leaving the business behind, Shark Tank Blog reported he started E-Simplified, which helps budding entrepreneurs with their business ideas. It's not clear if the company is still running, though, as of 2021, a Facebook post suggested he was working with a real estate company, potentially as part of E-Simplified.