Latest news with #DeviledEggCo.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'I Definitely Love It,' Says Mark Cuban, As He Backs Deviled Egg Startup In His Final 'Shark Tank' Investment Worth $250,000
Billionaire investor Mark Cuban definitely loves it, and television finally caught the grin as he cracked open his last-ever "Shark Tank" deal with a startup that sells nothing but deviled eggs. Viewers watched the longtime shark pair with real-estate titan Barbara Corcoran to offer $250,000 for 20% of Deviled Egg Co., proving the humble picnic side can still hatch serious money. "I definitely love it," Cuban said during the pitch, sealing his final deal with trademark enthusiasm. Don't Miss: Hasbro, MGM, and Skechers trust this AI marketing firm — Invest where it hurts — and help millions heal:. His goodbye slice of capitalism was served with crab-rangoon filling and nationwide ambition. Reflecting on his journey during the Season 16 finale, taped in January and aired May 16, on "Shark Tank," Cuban remarked, "This show changed me. I think I changed the show. And I think we all together as Sharks changed America." Former lounge manager Raechel Van Buskirk began experimenting with off-beat deviled eggs in 2017, selling trays from her Omaha kitchen. According to CNBC, she teamed with early investor Alexi Wellman three years later to roll out a food trailer. Van Buskirk, who relocated to Dallas after a December 2022 breast cancer diagnosis so she could be near family, closed the original Omaha, Nebraska, shop in 2024 and is now in full remission. By the time the duo wheeled onto TV, Deviled Egg Co. had tallied nearly $1.3 million in 2024 revenue and was already profitable, Van Buskirk said during her pitch. The founders asked for $150,000 in exchange for 5% equity, outlining plans to open two grab-and-go outlets and eventually franchise across Texas. Trending: The sampling round on the show went over easy. Daymond John, founder of FUBU and one of the panel investors, called the crab-rangoon version "this is probably the best thing I've ever eaten in 16 years on this stage," while fellow panelist and inventor Lori Greiner, bowed out, saying she would rather stay a customer than a co-owner. Corcoran spotted synergy with her other food investments and offered $150,000 for 15%. Kevin O'Leary, also known as "Mr. Wonderful," countered with 20%. The on-air haggling ended when Mark Cuban slid into Corcoran's offer, matching her money and bringing the total investment to $250,000 for a combined 20% stake. Van Buskirk and Wellman cracked grins and accepted on camera, with Van Buskirk shouting "I can't wait to make them so much money." Cuban isn't exactly riding off into retirement. His announced fresh distribution partnerships in April, pushing its catalog beyond 2,300 medications and saying transparent pricing has already helped patients save millions on generics. Read Next: Here's what Americans think you need to be considered wealthy. Image: Shutterstock Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? APPLE (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report TESLA (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report This article 'I Definitely Love It,' Says Mark Cuban, As He Backs Deviled Egg Startup In His Final 'Shark Tank' Investment Worth $250,000 originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
CNBC
20-05-2025
- Business
- CNBC
On Mark Cuban's final 'Shark Tank' episode, he offered $125,000 to a Texas restaurant chain: 'I definitely love it'
After more than a decade, Mark Cuban has departed from ABC's "Shark Tank." His final televised investment on the show: a six-figure offer for 10% of a restaurant dedicated entirely to deviled eggs. Deviled Egg Co., founded in 2017 by former bar and lounge manager Raechel Van Buskirk, began as a side hustle in Omaha, Nebraska. Van Buskirk, the company's CEO, experimented with a variety of off-beat deviled egg flavors, and catered them from her home before teaming up with business partner Alexi Wellman — originally the company's first investor, Van Buskirk says — to launch a food trailer in 2020. Today, the business is a full-fledged restaurant — with two sit-down locations and one grab-and-go storefront, all near the Dallas metropolitan area — featuring deviled egg flavors like crab rangoon, cheeseburger and chicken quesadilla. Deviled Egg Co. also ships a 36-egg kit, called the "Shark Tank Special," to further-flung customers. Deviled Egg Co. brought in just under $1.3 million in annual revenue 2024, and was profitable, says Van Buskirk. On the TV show, she and Wellman asked a panel of investor judges for $150,000 in investment funds, in exchange for a 5% equity stake in their company. "We do plan to use part of [the investment] to open two more grab-and-go models," Van Buskirk said on the show. "We have people that want to franchise already," added Wellman, now the company's CFO and COO. After starting with their food trailer, the duo launched their restaurant location in Omaha in 2021. They expanded to Texas in 2023: Van Buskirk had family in the area, and after being diagnosed with breast cancer in December 2022, she wanted to be closer to her loved ones, she says. She's currently in full remission, she adds. She and Wellman closed their Omaha location in December. The "Shark Tank" judges enjoyed their sample deviled eggs, with Daymond John saying, "This is probably the best thing I've ever eaten in 16 years on this stage." But he ultimately declined to offer Deviled Egg Co. an investment, saying he'd rather be a customer than a co-owner. Lori Greiner agreed, and similarly declined to extend an offer. Barbara Corcoran said she saw potential. She offered $150,000 for 15%, saying that's the same equity stake she has in other "Shark Tank" food companies like Cousins Maine Lobster and Crispy Cones. Kevin O'Leary made a competing offer, $150,000 for 20% of Deviled Egg Co. That's when Cuban offered to go in on a deal with Corcoran: $250,000 for 20%, with both figures split evenly between the two investors. "I definitely love it," said Cuban. Corcoran agreed to the partnership, and Wellman and Van Buskirk immediately accepted the offer. "I cannot wait to make them so much money," Van Buskirk said. (Post-taping, the deal has yet to be confirmed, with negotiations still in progress, Van Buskirk now says.) The offer marked a bittersweet end to Cuban's run on the show. The billionaire investor tearfully reminisced on the days when he too hoped to find investors who believed in him. He now plans to spend more time with his family, and devote more of his work focus to his online pharmacy startup Cost Plus Drugs. "What I'd like to say is thanks [to] everybody who took a chance on me, all the entrepreneurs who said yes to me — who knows how many millionaires we've created — and their employees. How many people we've inspired," Cuban said on the show. "I'm proud of what we've done." ,
