LARQ Shark Tank Update

LARQ Shark Tank Pitch

Justin Wang appeared on Shark Tank Season 12, Episode 21, which aired on April 16, 2021, with self-cleaning water bottle that uses UV light to purify water on the go.

LARQ is listed in the Accessories Gadgets category. In plain terms, the business is described as self-cleaning water bottle that uses UV light to purify water on the go.

LARQ asked the Sharks for $500,000 for 1%, implying a valuation of about $50 million.

On the show, LARQ made a listed deal with Kevin O'Leary and Lori Greiner for $1,500,000 for 4%.

If treated as straight equity, the listed deal works out to about $37.5 million implied valuation, down from the original $50 million implied valuation.

This pitch is included as context for the more important question: what happened after Shark Tank.

LARQ After Shark Tank

LARQ accepted the on-air offer for $1.5 million for 4%, one of the larger Season 12 deals. The company already had a premium self-cleaning water bottle story, and Shark Tank pushed that story to a wider consumer audience. (LARQ Shark Tank Update

In February 2024, TechCrunch reported that Brita GmbH acquired LARQ. The acquisition gave Brita a way back into North America while adding LARQ's online-first bottle and pitcher business to a much larger water-filtration company. (TechCrunch LARQ acquisition report

LARQ continues to sell bottles, pitchers, filters, and accessories under the LARQ brand, so the post-show outcome is best described as acquired and active rather than simply sold off and shut down. (LARQ website

Sources

Sources used for this page: Shark Tank API pitches