Here's What Went Down With Shredskinz After Shark Tank
We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.
Research suggests sweating (and we mean sweating a lot) while working out can potentially increase the number of calories burned, due to your body working harder in the heat. And that's where Kalaii Griffin II's sporty invention came in. He had a brainwave in 2010 when he founded Shredskinz, a company that manufactures disposable sauna suits designed to be worn during workouts.
Griffin discovered the benefits of turning up the heat during his career as a professional football player, finding that the temperature helped him have more satisfying workouts. After years of trying to replicate the heat by wearing garbage bags while exercising, he searched for a more elegant alternative and found nothing like it on the market. "I never thought I would make this business," he admitted on "Shark Tank." "It seems silly when you think about it. You think of it like a trash bag. But they say some of the craziest inventions [come out of] things that you've already done every single day."
That crazy invention (which landed a deal with the University of Texas at El Paso in 2021) led him to "Shark Tank." Griffin appeared on Season 14, Episode 6 (the same season as the memorable The Chub Rub Patch) of the ABC show, and he really gave the Sharks something to sweat over.
The Sharks were certainly intrigued by Shredskinz
When it came time for Kalaii Griffin II to appear on "Shark Tank" in March 2023, he went to the Sharks looking to give away 20% of his company for a $60,000 investment. Things got off to a slightly rocky start when Griffin told Mark Cuban, Daymond John, Kevin O'Leary, Lori Greiner, and guest shark Daniel Lubetzky that he didn't own 100% of the business. Instead, he revealed had a business partner who put $100,000 into the company and owned 25% of it. But, because of business debts, Griffin also shared that he still had another job as he wasn't yet able to take a salary from Shredskinz.
Despite Griffin picking things back up with his confident and sincerely emotional pitch, O'Leary wasn't sold. He took issue with the fact that Griffin already had another big investor onboard and wasn't willing to invest in the business. Greiner also declared herself out after telling the entrepreneur she couldn't see herself getting into the sauna suit industry. But Lubetzky was more intrigued than his co-stars. He told Griffin he was ready to give him the full amount of the exact equity he was offering. But the deals didn't stop there. Cuban then came in on the same deal, $60,000 for 20%. Kalaii was pretty happy with that offer, as he shook hands with Cuban on an impressive deal.
Shredskinz dropped even more products after Shark Tank
Following the airing of his "Shark Tank" episode, Kalaii Griffin II took to Shredskinz's Instagram account to share his excitement over getting an investment from Mark Cuban. Sharing a group snap that appeared to be taken during a watch party for the episode, he wrote in the caption, "We look forward to the future as we strive to be as eco-friendly as possible! THANK YOU @sharktankabc and @mcuban for the amazing opportunity! [Let's] make the world sweat MORE." He also had nothing but praise for the show while speaking about his experience during an episode of "Fightstars Podcast." "I'd say the experience was absolutely amazing, obviously super grateful to be on the show, and it was life-changing. But, man, talk about a roller coaster of emotions," he recalled.
The business has also expanded beyond the flagship product disposable sweat suits we saw on "Shark Tank." The Shredskinz website now offers a range of other products, including a thermal body wrap (which could help provide a little heat therapy post-workout), a branded hoodie, and a branded t-shirt.
Shredskinz is still shredding today
Don't think with an entrepreneur as dedicated and determined as Kalaii Griffin II that Shredskinz has folded. Nor does it look like it's going to anytime soon. The company is still in business at the time of writing and appears to be thriving. Shark Tank Talks estimated that Griffin's business had a net worth of an impressive $500,000 as of January 2024.
Much of that success has come from how the company has grown since appearing on "Shark Tank." In addition to selling via the Shredskinz website, the brand's products are also available to purchase via Amazon. The business also appeared to get an impressive boost from its appearance on the ABC business show, just like its fellow sporty "Shark Tank" business, DDP Yoga. Shredskinz has proudly shown the effects of social media. In September 2023, the company uploaded a photo to Instagram that showed Griffin and a co-worker sitting on a huge stack of boxes containing Shredskinz orders that were being sent out to customers.
Kalaii Griffin II still has big plans for his business to keep on growing
We know Kalaii Griffin II still has some big plans for the company up his sleeve — that includes plenty of growth. "We're not even close to where we want to be at and that's what's most exciting," he admitted on "What's Your Hustle?", hinting that there's still plenty more to come. And it sounds as though much of his plans involve making the company as big as it can be. "I would say scaling is one of those terms that comes up often right and people have different definitions for it, but, short answer, to scale," he said on "Fightstar Podcast" when asked what's next for his company. He revealed that his version of scaling involved creating a stronger brand ethos that represents the company's customers, which Griffin shared has become predominantly women.
The entrepreneur was also asked by ABC 7 what he hopes is next for the company, and admitted, "Just being able to continue to grow and get the name out there; I drive down the street and see people wearing Shredskinz and that's honestly the coolest and the biggest change from a year [ago]." And, we can't lie, we can only see Shredskinz getting even stronger from here.