Here's What Went Down With ISlide Customizable Sandals After Shark Tank

On September 23, 2016, Justin Kittredge pitched his brand, ISlide, on ABC's "Shark Tank." The business had already been up and running since January 2013, when Kittredge, who hails from Boston, created customizable slides with signature Relief Pro Lining footbeds for comfort and easy use. He wanted to reach the next level for his already successful business by pitching to the sharks.

Footwear is a pretty common category on "Shark Tank." We've seen all sorts of shoes make it onto the floor. Muvez footwear, a brand that goes from slipper to outdoor shoe, caught the attention of investor and shark Daymond John. Jeska Shoe Company also appeared on the show, but the brand never made it to market, even after getting the interest of John again. Boot Illusions was another creative shoe idea that, unfortunately, didn't make it because of issues with manufacturing.

For Kittredge and his ISlide Customizable Sandals, the "Shark Tank" story went differently. He did get an offer from a shark, but ultimately walked away from it. While some felt like this was a mistake, ISlide has gone on to thrive without any shark investors. In fact, the famous "Shark Tank effect" was enough to boost the brand. Kittredge later said that after the episode, they went from 500 daily views on their website to 50,000 views per day. So even without a deal, "Shark Tank" did a world of good for ISlide. 

Justin Kittredge appeared on "Shark Tank" asking for $500,000 in exchange for 5% of ISlide Customizable Sandals. For any devoted fans of the show, such a steep valuation of a company makes the sharks bristle, and Kittredge himself knew that this could be a problem. In a blog post he wrote after his episode, he said that he foresaw problems over this with the sharks. "I knew valuation was going to be an issue," Kittredge wrote. "It is with every single company. ISlide was going to be no different."

Sure enough, the sharks took umbrage. Daymond John, who has his finger on the footwear world, asked Kittredge why he had such a steep estimate of ISlide. Kittredge countered with the fact that he had done $1.5 million in sales in three years. They cost him $15 to create, and he sells them for $50. The entrepreneur even brought out the star power with a surprise appearance of wide receiver Antonio Brown wearing ISlides.

The sharks all got to try on pairs of slides, and they remarked on how comfortable the footwear was. Nevertheless, everyone pulled out except Robert Herjavec, who offered Kittredge $500,000 in exchange for 20% of the company. Kittredge tried to counter, but Herjavec remained firm. For the entrepreneur, this was too much of his company to part with, so Kittredge walked away with no deal.

Some fans felt like Justin Kittredge made a mistake by walking away from Robert Herjavec's offer. On the Reddit group r/sharktank, fans expressed their surprise. "He was given an extremely generous deal, can't believe he turned it down," one viewer wrote. Other viewers had a hunch that Kittredge fashioned an improbable valuation just to get exposure from the show, and that he never wanted an investor after all. "He knew exactly what he was doing," another person commented. "He turned down Robert because he didn't actually need the money. He only wanted to be on Shark Tank to get his brand out of there. There is a thing called the Shark Tank effect, we will see how long that lasts for him."

But for Kittredge, he feels like this was the right decision. In his blog post about the "Shark Tank" pitch, he wrote about the anxiety he felt about telling his team he never landed an investor. "When I called and told the team, I had no idea how they were going to take the news of no deal," Kittredge wrote. "I couldn't believe that I said no." But he added that his team was glad he didn't take Herjavec's deal. ISlide has gone on to get licensing deals with DC Comics, "Yellowstone," MTV, and so many other brands. According to the Shark Tank Blog, in 2019, ISlide was valued at $10 million, so they've been successful.

ISlide, like many other businesses, took a hit during the COVID-19 pandemic, with manufacturing and production hiccups. Also, since professional sports teams buy the slides, the interruption of public sporting events meant a hit in sales, according to the Shark Tank Blog. However, the company was able to recover and has gone on to thrive. As of 2023, ISlide was conducting $10 million in annual sales.

A huge reason for ISlide's continued success is that the brand is constantly coming up with new and innovative designs. They now offer slides with gel soles, as well as slides with fur soles. They also sell robes, socks, hats, and tops now with customizable options, so they've expanded their product line. They're also very active on social media, with creative ways of boosting sales and engaging their customer base. On February 21, 2024, the brand shared their favorite customized slides on Instagram that a previous customer had created, and invited people to submit their ISlide pair to win the "Custom of the Month." ISlide is always doing new things to engage creative customers. 

ISlide is everything for founder Justin Kittredge. On his LinkedIn page, his current occupation is listed as the President, CEO, and Janitor of ISlide, Inc., and has been since 2013. He's also a board member of Charles River Apparel. Kittredge is one busy guy, with social media posts of him and his team at the Vegas License Show in January 2024 with a fully stocked booth. He's also busy with interviews on radio shows like Boston's Jam'n 94.5, and an appearance on the New England news channel Chronicle 5. He's got a lot on his plate!

One thing that makes ISlide so special, and likely accounts for some of its popularity, is that the brand is all about giving back. This initiative is called Pairs with a Purpose, and a percentage of the profits from these slides goes to various causes, using the hashtag #StandInWhatYouStandFor online. Judging from the evident growth of the brand, and the many licensing deals, we look forward to seeing what ISlide is going to do next.