Whatever Happened To MUSH After Shark Tank?
Oats — those flakey things many of us have been told we should eat more of, but can't seem to stomach when the spoon comes to shove. And for those able to enjoy the healthy treat in the form of sweet oatmeal, they may be unwittingly taking in unhealthy amounts of sugar. So, how do you make oatmeal more appetizing and more nutritious? Call it MUSH.
Of course, the product, in question, had a bit more going for it, though its beginnings were basically that simple. While working a mentally demanding job at Goldman Sachs, recent college grad Ashley Thompson began bringing in a sort of proto-MUSH to help fuel her body and mind throughout the day. She first began using this ingenious (and apparently delicious) oatmeal recipe when she was a child.
Thompson soon caught the attention of fellow Goldman Sachs trader Kat Thomas, who saw the potential to turn the simple dish into a profitable business. Together, they founded the company MUSH, and would enter the "Shark Tank" in 2018 to see if the celebrity investors wanted to take a bite.
MUSH was more than appetizing to the Shark Tank
What began as a kid mixing milk into her overnight oats had turned into a multi-million dollar company. After steadily increasing their profits over the first two years, Ashley Thompson and Kat Thomas needed a cash infusion to go from weekend warriors to grocery store juggernauts. Projecting $900,000 in sales for 2018, they valued MUSH at $3 million, seeking $300,000 in exchange for 10% of their company.
The Sharks were almost as impressed by their growth as they were by the taste of the product, which drew rave reviews from the panel of celebrity investors and kickstarted a fierce bidding war. In fact, it wasn't long before Mark Cuban and Barbara Corcoran were trying to win the entrepreneurs by not only offering exactly what they asked for, but promising "unlimited" lines of credit. Ultimately, MUSH went with Cuban, despite some quibbling from Corcoran and guest Shark Rohan Oza (who went so far as to deride Cuban's previous culinary investments, which included Alyssa's Cookies and Chirps).
MUSH became a Shark Tank success story
In the immediate aftermath of MUSH's "Shark Tank" episode airing, Mark Cuban seemed incredibly optimistic about his future with the company. Even the most auspicious "Shark Tank" deals turn to dust after the cameras start rolling, and most successful partnerships often fly under the radar. But less than a year after the initial MUSH feeding frenzy, the Dallas Mavericks owner was praising them in Forbes magazine.
"Loved the product," Cuban gushed to the financial news outlet. "Loved the women behind it. Their drive. Their preparation. Their focus. Their savvy." At the time, Cuban's strategy for MUSH seemed to have been a major retail push, getting the product on as many shelves as possible, rather than merely trying to scale their online presence. It's a strategy that speaks to the investor's faith in MUSH as a product and its ability to compete head-to-head with other oatmeal brands. "MUSH will be nimbler, continue to innovate, and stay in front," Cuban boasted, further explaining that pushback from the brands already in stores didn't scare him. "MUSHers love their MUSH," he stated. "If we do our job, any store that stopped carrying us would face a mutiny."
As we saw with the fashion brand SPERGO, post-"Tank" optimism doesn't always lead to a profitable relationship between the Shark and the entrepreneur. Still, Cuban had nothing but high hopes for the future of MUSH.
MUSH is still available to purchase
In the years following its "Shark Tank" breakout, MUSH underwent a number of major changes — primarily, the loss of its co-founder and chief operating officer, Kat Thomas. In 2019, she left her position as COO, retaining an equity stake in the company, but no longer contributing to its future success. While it is unknown if MUSH's deal with Mark Cuban closed while she was attached to the company, Ashley Thompson stated several years later that Thomas had departed due to serious health concerns that would prevent her from carrying out her duties as COO.
On the plus side, MUSH is still in business with Ashley Thompson as CEO, and — as confirmed in a rare "Shark Tank" follow-up segment in 2020 — the deal with Cuban was officially closed. As of that segment's taping, he appears to be very involved with big-picture aspects of MUSH's growth and has achieved his goal of getting the product in countless major stores, including Wegmans, Walmart, and ShopRite. While Thompson got emotional when speaking about Thomas' exit from MUSH and expressed how much pressure she felt shouldering most of the company's responsibilities on her own, she appears to be handling things well. At the time, they had done well over $5 million in sales.
What's next for the MUSH co-founders?
Though she no longer works for MUSH, Kat Thomas' entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well. Immediately after leaving MUSH in 2019, she became the co-owner of a coffee bean company called Bump Coffee. A few years later, in 2022, she joined health and wellness company Bare Performance Nutrition as their chief revenue officer, but was quickly appointed to the position of CEO. Thomas also invests in a number of start-ups, including software companies Puzzle and Vareto. Her name is not featured on the About page of the MUSH website, though she still reps the company on her social media.
As for Ashley Thompson, MUSH remains her sole focus for the time being. She appears to be focused on continuing the steady growth MUSH was able to cultivate with Mark Cuban's guidance. MUSH is listed on the investor's website, which implies that he still has a relationship with the company as of this writing. Most notably, Thompson has begun serving on the board of Blair Academy, a prestigious New Jersey college-prep boarding school.