Whatever Happened To Snactiv After Shark Tank?

If you've ever worked from home, chances are you've enjoyed a snack or two while at your desk. It's super convenient but also a super easy way to get your keyboard dirty instantly. Entrepreneurs Kevin Choi and Evan Cho believe the perfect solution is — quite literally — at your fingertips with their snacking accessory, Snactiv. The product is simple — a miniature pair of plastic tongs placed on your middle and index fingers and act as extensions to pick up snack foods such as Cheetos and chips. The easy-to-use tool is perfect for gamers and those who work from home, allowing you to munch on your favorite treats without getting your fingers covered in grease or dust. 

Choi and Cho met while working at a software startup in Los Angeles. With their shared experience working for major brands under Mattel, Disney, and Hasbro, they launched their company, Inoobi Inc., in 2021 to start developing their own products. The team began a Kickstarter campaign in March of that year for Snactiv. Within a month, they exceeded their $20,000 goal with a grand total of $41,700 pledged by over 900 backers. By October, they began shipping and were already receiving great reviews. 

Snactiv was showing promise as a fun and innovative product that fits perfectly in today's society, where many have switched to working remotely. But is it enough for the sharks to take a bite? 

Kevin Choi and Evan Cho come onto "Shark Tank" Season 13 seeking an investment of $200,000 for 10% of their business. Their episode, which aired on January 7, 2022, is notable as the first to have "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" and "Ride Along" star Kevin Hart on the show as a guest shark. Hart's platform is more than enough to shoot any brand through the stratosphere. 

At first, their product and demonstration leave the sharks in a laughing riot. But amongst using them, they start seeing the appeal, with Hart even saying, "Like, instantly I just got happy." It costs them $2.60 to make the Snactiv itself, which is upped to $2.80 when the case is included. In five and a half months, they've done $187,000 in sales. Due to increased demand from Asian countries, the team plans to focus their retail efforts on this region. They've secured deals with distributors in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Korea. 

Kevin O'Leary kicks off the offers with a classic royalty deal. The investor wants $1 for each Snactiv sold until he makes $1 million, which will then see him obtain his 10% equity stake. Kevin Hart and Lori Greiner decide to team up, offering the $200,000 for a 20% stake, with each shark taking 10%. Hart believes his personality will drive sales, while Greiner promises that she can bring down production costs. Mr. Wonderful gets competitive, taking the royalty down to $0.50 and the equity to 5%. Choi and Cho ultimately choose to go with the Hart and Greiner, with Choi calling the deal "a no-brainer." 

Snactiv has a unique place in "Shark Tank" history as Kevin Hart's first investment on the show. Lori Greiner congratulated her new business partner, saying in a tweet, "Congrats @KevinHart4real on your 1st #SharkTank deal ... happy it was with me! 😊@ABCSharkTank." Greiner also made a Twitter poll asking her followers if they'd purchase the product, with over 51% voting yes. 

The predictions weren't far off. Following the episode's airing, the "Shark Tank" effect hit Snactiv like a truck, with the company selling out almost immediately. Shortly after, Snactiv announced their partnership with DoorDash. The collaboration offered a free limited edition Snactiv with the order of snacks or drinks from the service. However, it was limited to Seattle, Chicago, and San Diego. Later that year, Snactiv was successfully able to reach Singapore and Canada for new distribution opportunities. 

However, not everything was smooth sailing after "Shark Tank." It's unclear if their deal with Greiner and Hart went through since the product is not featured on Greiner's website. This isn't uncommon for "Shark Tank" deals, which can take a year or more to go through, although Greiner doesn't have the best track record with closing deals to begin with. Additionally, several cheap knockoff brands have been popping up across Amazon and other platforms, which the team has stated they are taking action against. 

Snactiv may not be one of the biggest "Shark Tank" businesses out there, but the company is still successfully running today. Customers can buy a Snactiv from Amazon or their official website, which sells the original Snactiv Pro, the Snactiv Lite, and fun T-shirts made for hardcore snackers. Reviews for their products are largely positive, with a 4.5 out of 5-star average rating on Amazon and a 4.7 out of 5-star average on the site. 

Their social media following doesn't have the widest reach, but the brand's culture is displayed prominently across these platforms. Their posts on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Twitter are a mix of memes, funny videos, and customer testimonials that celebrate working from home, gaming, and snacking. The content's laid-back, fun tone comes across as entertaining and genuine, but don't be surprised if you get hungry the longer you scroll through. There have yet to be any official numbers released by Snactiv regarding sales, although some sources estimate that the company is still under $1 million in revenue with a net worth of $2 million. 

With the Snactiv homepage calling their product, " ... a totally unnecessary, yet fun and super useful snacking tool," it's clear that founders Kevin Choi and Evan Cho view their business through a self-aware lens. While there is certainly a desire to grow, Snactiv is likely not going to break "Shark Tank" records by becoming the next ScrubDaddy or Bombas. But at the end of the day, there's nothing wrong with that mindset, and it appears that the team is having fun with what they have, even thanking their fans by stating, "It's been a wild ride and we can't thank our community of customers enough for supporting us and spreading the word. It makes us happy to know we're making people's lives just a little bit easier — even if it's something so simple and silly."

Nevertheless, Snactiv still has places they want to go. As stated on "Shark Tank," the team is hoping to expand their retail options. Even if they primarily wanted to focus on Asian countries, there seems to be plenty of opportunity for the product to expand its reach stateside. With Cho stating that the company is working on building up its team and new partnerships, the idea could help drum up more business. They appear to also be potentially developing new products, although their plans are very vague at the moment, with their homepage simply reading, "We're currently working on a few more things (while snacking of course) so stay tuned!"