Here's What Went Down With Nohbo Balls After Shark Tank

It's no secret that we're all living during a critical time for ensuring we don't destroy the planet. And Ben Stern, the founder and CEO of Nohbo, is doing all he can to make the beauty and cosmetics industry as sustainable as possible. But, unlike many of the entrepreneurs who take a chance on "Shark Tank" and have been in business for years, Stern didn't even have a company when he applied for the show. "One day, I was watching 'Shark Tank' at my father's house in Maine, and after the episode, they were like, 'Apply to 'Shark Tank' here.' I had no product. I had a provisional patent I created myself and a cool idea," Stern recalled while speaking to Beauty Independent. "I sent "Shark Tank" a two-sentence email, and I got cast on the show. They called me and said, "Do you have product?" I said, 'Absolutely,' and I raced to get everything together for the show."

That idea Stern was so invested in (and, clearly, so was "Shark Tank")? Earth-friendly, biodegradable water-soluble pods and sheets that can hold everything from shampoos to body washes with absolutely no harmful microplastics. Nohbo's goal is to stop the need for any kind of single-use plastic and instead focus on pods that are totally biodegradable and leave no trace of any packaging. And amazing things happened when he joined the ranks of sustainable businesses like Retold Recycling on "Shark Tank."

Nohbo made its debut on "Shark Tank" Season 7 in 2016, when Ben Stern was just 16-years-old. Stern entered the Tank alongside his grandmother, which immediately caught the sharks' attention. The super young entrepreneur was looking to trade 20% of his company for $100,000. At the time, he'd created a shampoo ball and gave a live demonstration of how it worked on his grandmother's hair. What really seemed to pique the Shark's interest, though, was when the Stern explained he had two patents pending and planned to license the technology to big beauty brands.

But sadly for the youngster, Lori Greiner declared herself out early because she deemed the business was too young in its development stages for her to invest. Kevin O'Leary also wasn't willing to part with his money. But, that still left three Sharks in who were all very interested. Robert Herjavec offered all the money for 20%, but noted he wouldn't be willing to hand over the cash until the patents were confirmed. Mark Cuban was also super excited about the product, and explained how he could get it off the ground the next day ... However, he wanted 25% of the company for his investment. Barbara Corcoran was also in, offering to introduce Stern to Estee Lauder. She said if Stern could successfully sell the product to the brand, she'd invest. But Stern knew who he wanted. Even though Cuban was looking for 5% more equity than his co-stars, the two struck a lucrative deal by the end of the episode.

Following Nohbo's appearance on "Shark Tank," Ben Stern had to go back to the drawing board. He revealed in a "Shark Tank" update that aired in 2021 that the shampoo ball design he initially took on the show didn't really work in the real world. He then spent two years developing hundreds of prototypes to create a version of Nohbo's product in the form of soluble drops. It was after this breakthrough that the business really started to fly. Stern shared that soon after launching the drops, the company landed a deal worth $14 million. 

At the time, Mark Cuban revealed that they had big plans for Nohbo, including a goal to launch a subscription service. "This literally could be a $100 million enterprise over the next five to six years," Cuban predicted. It makes sense. After all, we could all be doing better when it comes to reusing and recycling our beauty products, and Nohbo takes that notion one step further.

As the update segment aired, it seemed Lori Greiner may have had some regrets about not investing as she took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share her praise for the young entrepreneur. "Inspiring story about taking such a painful journey and using it to motivate & be determined to succeed. I know your Bubbe is so proud!" she tweeted (via Florida Today), referring to the nickname Stern gave his grandmother, who passed away following his "Shark Tank" appearance.

In 2020, Nohbo raised $3 million in seed funding, landing investments from Material Impact and Safer Made. It also received additional funding from Mark Cuban via his Radical Investments firm. This came about after Stern revealed in 2018 that Cuban had invested more money into the business post-"Shark Tank." "Mark Cuban has been an amazing partner and is still very involved. He just gave us another early tier funding bump. I talk with him every week and speak with his team of advisors daily. I've never seen anyone more responsive to emails," Stern told Medium of his business partner.

The funding enabled Stern to expand Nohbo into the consumer-facing market and launch the eco-friendly personal care brand Sunrise Session, which offers plastic-free products similar to the shampoo balls he pitched on "Shark Tank." Previously, Nohbo focused on B2B sales, offering its products to hotels and cosmetic companies. 

By 2023, Nohbo started earning public recognition. First, it joined the B Corp Beauty Coalition, a group determined to combat waste and unsustainable practices in the beauty world. "We are excited to be part of a very elite group as a B Corporation and beyond proud to be joining B Corp Beauty Coalition," Stern said in a press release. That same year, the company was the grand winner at the Ocean Impact Organization Awards. Then, in 2024, it took home a Sustainable Innovation Award at the Seal Business Sustainability Awards. Not only that, but Stern told Grocery Doppio in 2023 the company had an exciting pilot project with Disney in the works. 

After more than decade with the company, Benjamin Stern moved on from Nohbo. In a post shared to his LinkedIn feed in March 2024, the founder wrote that he and his shareholders, "reached a crossroads and wanted to take Nohbo in different directions. In the end, I felt it was best to hand the reigns over to my colleagues and step down from my role." Stern has since gone on to build the company Tenakara AI, a technological platform that provides support to startup businesses.

As for Nohbo, it appears the company is no longer active — at least as a standalone business. At the time of writing, the brand's official website is no longer active. The company has also not updated its Instagram or LinkedIn since 2022. However, it appears that updated versions of its products, including the famous shampoo balls are still available for purchase through the Sunrise Session website. "Shark Tank" is available for purchase on Prime Video.