The non-high-tech NoPhone belongs to a league of its own. However, the Shark Tank is renowned for exposing innovative technological innovations to its countless fans. It launched this device in April 2016, episode 23 of season 7.
Is the No Phone similar to a useless prank item? Or does this phony cellphone address a significant issue for today’s generation?
Will the Sharks accept their proposition? What happened after their debut on the show? Is the company still in existence? Let’s find out!
Quick Facts
| Founders name: | Chris Sheldon Van Gould Ingmar Larsen Ben Langeveld |
| Business details: | Fake plastic phone for smartphone addiction |
| Founded in: | 2016 |
| Location : | New York City, USA |
| Asking of Company: | $25,000 for 25% Equity |
| Accepted Deals: | No Deal |
| Sharks on board (Investors): | None |
| Shark Tank Episode: | Season 7 Episode 23 |
| Net Worth: | $15 million |
| Business Status: | Active |
| Last Updated: | Mar 19, 2024 |
| Social Media: | Instagram |
About the Founder
The two commercial designers Van Gould and Chris Sheldon made a mockery of an audience that is fixated on electronics.
When Gould and Sheldon were at the bar hanging out, they noticed that everyone was on their cell phones. This scene struck their minds and NoPhone came into the market.
They launched a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter to gather $20,000 in funds for developing NoPhone.
Founding the NoPhone
NoPhone represents a fun gadget that looks like an actual phone, however, is just an item of silicone. This cell phone is a hoax. This gadget acts as a prank product that tackles the very real problem of cell phone dependency. It has no functioning controls, cameras, or screen, 0GB of storage space, and no internet access.
NoPhone Air, the newest product in the line, is nothing, as the title suggests. But the buyers are paying $6 per unit for the device. How strange!
Shark Tank Appearance
Van and Chris complained that 79% of the population uses electronics for 22 hours daily. Gould and Sheldon requested $25,000 for a 25% stake in NoPhone.
The presentation that is technology-free and a substitute for those who are absorbed in their mobile and disregarding the world around them, amused the sharks.
In a mocking pitch, it was announced that 3100 copies had been sold online for $42,000. They unveiled their basic NoPhone for $12 per piece and the camera version for $10 for the extra screen. Each component of manufacture is priced at $2.95.
Even though the Sharks were laughing, Daymond John placed a real and sincere query as to whether the company was patented. The owners confirmed that it was licensed.
Mark Cuban left because he thought it was foolish to trademark a piece of pointless material. Smartly, Lori Greiner accompanied after him.
However, Kevin O’Leary exclaimed the device to be utterly terrible and parted ways along with the other Sharks.
After Shark Tank
The Sharks failed to provide an agreement to Van Gould and Chris Sheldon’s NoPhone. Regardless of this, the company’s owners kept up and ran the companies they owned.
The item was temporarily removed from Amazon in 2018 and then later in 2021, however in 2023, the item was accessible on the online retailer’s main webpage. Van and Chris sold 4000 NoPhones.
NoPhone is thought to have a total assets value of $500,000 during its cameo on the show. Currently, as 2024 update, it has a net worth of $15 million.