Before developing his product, the Bedjet, Mark Aramli was a NASA engineer. Once he decided to turn his business idea into a reality, he dedicated a year and a half of his life and all of his money into building his product.
The Bedjet is a solution to one of the most annoying problems people have with a bed. In the summer, the mattress gets too hot from body heat and can be uncomfortable. In the winter, when you roll over the other side of the bed is ice cold. The Bedjet is a smartphone-controlled device that allows you to determine the temperature of your mattress. You can heat it up or cool it down.
Before appearing on the show, the product was already receiving interest. Aramli had crowd-funded $75k from preorders. The product represents a first of its kind. The heating and cooling system works rapidly, and it is affordable. All you need to do is put the unit underneath your bed and then hook up the nozzle. It will take only three minutes for your bed to go from freezing to luxuriously warm, or vice versa.
The Bedjet works by injecting air into the mattress. The product practically pays for itself since you won’t need to put on the heat or air conditioning on certain nights, saving plenty of money over time. It is capable of creating two different zones, which is especially helpful for couples. Generally, couples have different preferences, and the Bedjet ensures everyone is comfortable.
Bedjet on Shark Tank
Shark Tank Season 6 Episode 17
Mark Aramli made his pitch to the Sharks, and they seemed interested. He was looking for a $250,000 investment into his product for a 10% stake in the company.
Aramli explained to the Sharks that they would never again need to jump into a freezing bed late at night in the winter. He showed them the Bedjet and described its capabilities. He went over how easy it is to use and operate, especially considering all you need to do is download the app on your phone, and you can control the unit easily from there.
After Aramli’s pitch, Mark Cuban asks if he can test out the product by lying down in the bed. Aramli obliges and also answers Kevin’s concern about how much noise the device makes; it’s virtually silent. Lori decides to join Mark in testing out the product, which provides a good amount of levity in the episode.
During this, the Sharks began asking Aramli questions, and they were skeptical of his product. It seems as though the Sharks weren’t particularly big fans of his, almost as though they were deliberately trying to find a flaw in his design.
They question whether the device would save anyone money since it uses electricity all night. Mark explained that the product could be set up in various ways, most of which make it, so the unit will power on and off at appropriate times, not wasting energy.
Kevin presses Aramli on the sales of his product, and that was when Mark revealed that the product had yet to go into production. In other words, there hadn’t been any sales yet. For this answer, many eyes were rolled. Mark explained to the Sharks that he used to be a NASA engineer and that working on space suits was where he initially came up with the idea.
He explained that the product costs $98 to make and will be sold in stores for $499. The Sharks were a bit perplexed by this, seeing as an average mattress doesn’t even cost quite that much. To address their concerns, Mark described a trip he made to a trade show. This was a trade show where he was able to show off the Bedjet, and he tells the Sharks that he received a lot of interest from several major mattress manufacturers. The Sharks countered by saying that it doesn’t matter so much what the manufacturers want; this is being sold directly to consumers.
The Sharks continually press Aramli on the price of his product. Kevin was especially agitated and repeatedly stated that no one would ever pay that much. Aramli revealed that he has been doing some negotiating with an Australian mattress company that has offered him $1.1 million. Some Sharks were impressed, but it wasn’t enough. Cuban questioned what makes this product so unique compared to others on the market. Aramli explained that Bedjet is the only product that works so rapidly. His response was met with more skepticism.
At this point, the tension in the room was palpable. Lori was the first Shark to leave the deal after one of her questions was not answered. It seems that Aramli’s most significant issue is being unable to clearly and concisely explain some of the questions posed. Mark Cuban, in particular, became a bit frustrated trying to get a straight answer.
In the end, none of the Sharks invested in his product, refusing to hear anything further from him as he leaves the Tank.
Life After Shark Tank
Well, it wasn’t an excellent performance for Mark Aramli on Shark Tank, but that doesn’t mean his product failed. Quite the contrary.
When Mark was on the show, the product had yet even to be launched. If you take a look at their website, you can buy one for yourself today, and the product has been on the market for a few years now.
It seems that the price concerns from the Sharks were somewhat overstated. It is perhaps understandable, but this product has sold very well. Mark maybe took their advice to an extent, as you can purchase a standard Bedjet for $349. However, there is a V2 Bedjet, which costs $949! And it sells well, so it looks like the Sharks missed the mark on that prediction. It seems that because they didn’t want to work with Aramli that they declined, more so than not believing in the product itself.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is strictly informational; SEO Insights is not affiliated with Bedjet, SharkTank, or any of its subsidiaries.