Here's What Went Down With Tristen Ikaika After Shark Tank

Although he didn't realize it at the time, Tristen Ikaika stealing a spoon from his mom to turn into a ring would completely change his life. "As a young, naive, broke 19-year-old, I needed money," Ikaika told Forbes in 2022. "I noticed a comment on one of my Instagram pictures asking 'does anyone know where Tristen gets his rings?' one day and the lightbulb clicked. I'd been making these spoon rings for myself since I was 12; perhaps I could share this passion and make rings for the people who had been asking." So Tristen got to work on creating a line of rings.

Completely new to the business, Ikaika decided to do ring drops on Instagram, as opposed to selling on a website. His initial drop sold almost immediately, making $4000. "It was the most money I'd ever seen in my life," Ikaika told Forbes. "I felt so humbled and so excited, the fact that so many people wanted to buy a ring from me was insane. I thought I was dreaming."

He originally was making rings for fun and profit, but when his father had a heart attack in 2016 and his mother received a breast cancer diagnosis shortly after, Ikaika promised himself he would never be a burden to them. Instead, he would take care of them emotionally and financially. So, looking to elevate his business, Ikaika decided to throw himself to the sharks in "Shark Tank" to see if any of them were willing to invest.

Ikaika showed up to "Shark Tank" with big dreams and a lot of confidence. After all, his business was already doing pretty well. He presented each of the sharks with personalized press boxes that really impressed all of them. But then it was time to talk money.

As Ikaika explained, each ring costs $50. During the last drop he did right before appearing on Shark Tank, he sold 3200 units with a revenue of $155k, so he was asking the sharks for $250k for 5% of this company. Because Ikaika is a one-man business, Kevin O'Leary mentioned his concern with investing, because if something happens to Ikaika, O'Leary automatically loses. Then Mark Cuban questioned how Ikaika plans to grow his business if he's just relying on drops, so Ikaika explained that he plans to do a core collection in addition to drops.

Although Lori Greiner liked the idea, she was the first to pass. Daymond John was next to pass on investing. O'Leary, realizing there was something special about Ikaika's brand, offered the requested $250k, but wanted to be a partner due to the risk involved, so he asked for 50% of the company. At this point, Mark Cuban shared his doubts, but Barbara Corcoran spoke up, offering $250k for 20% of the company. Then O'Leary said he'd invest the $250k for 15%. As Ikaika became visibly overwhelmed with offers, Cuban simplified things by saying he was out. Ultimately, Ikaika took O'Leary's offer.

Immediately after scoring the deal with O'Leary, Ikaika was shocked and struggled to make sense of what had just happened. "But after I landed the deal with Kevin and went through that whole in-the-tank intenseness, I was just like, I couldn't believe it," Ikaika told Yahoo News in 2022. "I was like, my body kind of went into shock. And like, I remember the producers were like, 'Are you okay?' And I'm like, 'I don't know what just happened.'"

After shaking the shock from his bones, Ikaika immediately dove back into work, launching his collection "Are You Okay," which included rings and sweatshirts, as a way to get conversations started about mental health. "I think giving people a moment to feel seen and also to feel like someone is there for them is extremely important to me," Ikaika told Yahoo News. "Sometimes you don't know what you need. You kind of just need someone to cry with you. You don't need advice. You don't need them to bring you dinner. You just need someone to be there with you." Although the line has since sold out, it was a fantastic glimpse into what Ikaika can bring to the table and the positive impact he could make with his rings, similar to fellow Shark Tank alum Sophie Nistico and her brand, See The Way I See.

You better believe it! Although his line is now just called Ikaika, Tristen Ikaika is still very much in business — and he's thriving. As suggested by the sharks, he's scaled his business and built an online store, but still manages to do the occasional ring drop too. Right now, he has a few staple collections on the site and you can search for what you want by metal (gold or silver), and his prices now vary from $19 to $69.

Also, in honor of the Paris Olympics, Ikaika launched a fun line of rings that include the Eiffel Tower, flashing lights, and, of course, a croissant — it's appropriately called The Paris Collection. On the Ikaika Studios Instagram page, which has just over 17k followers, several real-life Olympians are donning his rings. And because Ikaika and his designs are really resonating with Gen Z, his TikTok page — where he's dubbed the Ring King — has over 83k followers and 6.7 million likes. As for the company's current net worth, there doesn't seem to be any public information at this time.

Based on his social media platforms, Ikaika doesn't have a new collection planned right now, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have a few drops in the works. Mostly, he seems to be enjoying his business, creating new designs, and loving his new role as an entrepreneur.

In January 2022, Ikaika sat down with ABC4 in Orem, Utah (where he's from) to talk about what he's learned throughout this whole process. "More money, I don't see as more happiness, but just like more opportunities," Ikaika said. "Like I want to take all my friends to Japan and like shoot an awesome collection, and so the growth from this I just see as more opportunities to fulfill myself in new ways that I haven't been able to before."

So, Ikaika is riding the waves of his newfound success and bringing his friends along for the ride. Which, honestly, is the best way to do things. Success is much more enjoyable when you're surrounded by people you love.