What Happened To Pawnix Noise-Canceling Headphones For Dogs From Shark Tank Season 13?
Over 15 seasons and counting, "Shark Tank" has seen plenty of businesses — everything from solar-powered flashlights to electric skateboards and even a smart steering wheel cover – but none may have been as cute as Pawnix. The company specializes in noise-canceling headphones for dogs, helping them deal with any and all traumatic sounds.
It may sound ridiculous (and look a little funny), but every dog owner knows the struggle of caring for an anxiety-filled four-legged best friend. Loud sounds from firework-filled celebrations and thunderstorms quickly trigger scared dogs. In the best-case scenario, they spend the rest of the night shaking in fear, and in the worst case (like Pawnix's creator Kirsten Brand's situation), the loud noises activate a dog's fight or flight instincts, leading many to run away from their homes.
After a 4th of July celebration went wrong, resulting in her dog Emma running away, Brand decided to tackle the problem head-on. She created Pawnix, the noise-canceling headphones for dogs, using state-of-the-art technology to help canines worldwide. And she wasn't stopping there, taking her start-up company to "Shark Tank" in the hopes of gaining an investment partner with some of the best in the business.
What happened to Pawnix on Shark Tank?
Upon entering the "Shark Tank" room, Kirsten Brand and her fur baby Emma immediately gained the attention of Robert Herjavec, Kevin O'Leary, and the rest of the Sharks. With active and passive noise-canceling technology, Pawnix over-the-ear headphones help any dog suffering from anxiety stemming from loud noises, and surprisingly, it makes them even more adorable.
Before coming on "Shark Tank," Brand had already completed Pawnix's first year of sales, earning $106,000 in sales on a $199 per headphone price point. She proposed a deal to the sharks for $150,000 on the show for 10% equity in Pawnix. Unfortunately, the investors weren't too keen on the product despite recognizing it as a legitimate need, with the Sharks agreeing the $200 price tag was too high to market successfully. Herjavec and Lori Greiner both bowed out of negotiations, suggesting Pawnix remove some of the state-of-the-art noise-canceling tech in the headphones to bring the price down to $30-$40. Daymond John thought the product would be too complicated to explain in marketing, so he passed, while neither Mark Cuban nor O'Leary saw room for Pawnix in their portfolios.
What happened to Pawnix after Shark Tank?
Unfortunately, Kirsten Brand, Emma, and Pawnix didn't walk out of "Shark Tank" with the investment they hoped for (or even one at all), but that hasn't stopped the brand from helping the millions of anxiety-ridden dogs worldwide.
Business seems to be going well for Pawnix, with the company's website still up and running. It may not seem like much of an update, but that's a hurdle other former "Shark Tank" contestants have succumbed to. Instead, Pawnix still offers a line of canine noise-canceling headphones with grey, blue, pink, and red options. And while they're still priced at $199.99 (something the sharks wouldn't be too happy about), the company has introduced a refurbished, more affordable line of noise-canceling headphones priced at $148. It's not nearly the discount the sharks would've liked to see Pawnix implement, but it's certainly a step in the right direction.
And there are plans in motion to expand the Pawnix brand. During an appearance on the YouTube channel Covered in Pet Hair, Brand revealed they're in the middle of developing anxiety vests and pajamas, stating that they've had numerous discussions with customers and other companies regarding the validity of those products. So, to make Pawnix a formidable force within the pet industry, Brand and her team are using their knowledge to expand Pawnix, and who knows, maybe they prove the Sharks wrong in the process.