Proof Eyewear makes handcrafted eyewear from the finest woods. They have added other materials as they have grown using recycled plastics from plant containers and recycled skateboard decks. They are pitching the Shark Tank investors to secure additional inventory because Pacific Sunwear is adding more locations.
Proof Eyewear founder – We have Sawdust in our veins
They claim to have sawdust in their veins. No two trees are the same making no two pairs of Proof glasses are alike. The brothers let the Sharks know that their grandfather started the sawmill where they source their woods.
Proof Sales are $433,000 over the last year. The Shark Tank Investors are impressed with the sales numbers. The cost to make is $14, and wholesale at around $50, with retail running around $100. They are projecting approximately nine hundred thousand dollars in sales, and they put their profit back into inventory.
Snoop Dog, Kelly Clarkson, Beyonce, and Kelly Rolland have all been photographed wearing Proof Eyewear without soliciting their endorsements for the product. They do not send glasses out asking people to wear them. Part of their sales goes to building an eye clinic in India. Their clinic offers Cataract surgeries for people who otherwise would likely end up blind.
Each pair of Proof Eyewear glasses has a bird in their logo. The idea is everyone has wings; sometimes they need a little help to catch flight.
And talk about the Shark Tank effect! Proof Eyewear had over two million hits on their website within twenty-four hours of the show airing. Like many Shark Tank Companies, the site crashed, causing them to find a new hosting company that is capable of handling boosts in traffic.
Company: Proof Eyewear
Entrepreneur: Brooks Dame, Tanner Dame, Taylor Dame
Episode: Season 4 Episode 417
Sharks: Mark Cuban, Daymond John, Kevin O’Leary, Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec
Ask: $150,000 for 10% equity
Deal: Offers but no deal
Proof Eyewear pitches Shark Tank on their uniquely designed Wood Rimmed Glasses. Each pair of eyeglasses are handcrafted from the most sustainable woods available. Each pair of glasses is different because no grains are the same, giving personality to each frame.
Proof Eyewear launched in Garage
The company launched in 2010, working out of Brooks garage in Idaho.
Sales twelve months before entering the Shark Tank come to four-hundred-thirty-three thousand dollars and have celebrities wearing their sunglasses. Pacific Sunwear made a significant order.
What do the Shark Tank Investors Say about Proof Eyewear?
- Mark Cuban loves the sunglasses, but he is out.
- Daymond John loves the eyeglasses, and they are “cool.” Daymond is looking for someone that wants to be at Walmart. He goes out because Taylor and Tanner do not want their eyewear in major retailers.
- Kevin O’Leary offers $150,000 for twenty-five percent equity plus a $2.50 per order royalty until his original investment is returned. Then, the royalty will drop to $1 per order.
- Lori Greiner sells a lot of sunglasses and she has a partnership with a manufacturer that presents a conflict despite loving their eyeglasses. She is out.
- Robert Herjavec offers $125,000 for twenty-five percent. Brooks counters, asking Robert to go to $200,000 for twenty percent, but Robert stays with his original offer.
Brooks, Tanner, and Taylor step out to make a phone call to talk to their father. They talk about taking on a partner, for the expertise and the capital, but they lose ownership in their company.