Here's What Went Down With Bite Toothpaste After Shark Tank
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As the state of the planet becomes more and more dire, companies — both old and new — are reinventing what it means to be environmentally friendly and sustainable. While that's certainly a great ambition and an even greater cause to champion, owners and CEOs can only get so far without financial backers. That's where "Shark Tank" comes in, to save the day for these entrepreneurs.
One of those companies is Bite Toothpaste. Launched in 2017 by former surf instructor Lindsay McCormick, Bite Toothpaste went viral in 2018 for its unique way of avoiding excess packaging and still getting teeth squeaky clean. "When I learned that one billion toothpaste tubes ended up in landfills every year (that's enough to fill up the Empire State Building fifty times yearly) I knew I wanted to make a change," Bite Toothpaste's CEO and founder Lindsay McCormick told Voyage LA in 2019. "I've always been passionate about sustainability, but I was traveling all the time for work, tossing out those little travel toothpaste tubes that I envisioned sitting in a landfill somewhere, leaking out chemicals like SLS and triclosan and artificial dyes and flavors." In response to this, McCormick took chemistry classes and bought a tableting machine. "Our Bits are free from harsh chemicals, dyes, artificial flavors, and unnecessary fillers and they come in recyclable, refillable, or compostable packaging," McCormick said.
However, despite McCormick's and co-founder Asher Hunt's enthusiastic pitch, the sharks weren't feeling it. But that wasn't the end for Bite Toothpaste.
Bite Toothpaste didn't get any investors
Lindsay McCormick and Asher Hunt appeared on "Shark Tank" hoping to get $325,000 in exchange for 5% of the company. The sharks appeared impressed with McCormick's methods in getting her toothpaste made — she did take chemistry classes, after all — and the fact that the previous year saw $1.3 million in sales.
Mark Cuban offered $325,000 but had two conditions: he wanted 15% and to see Bite Toothpaste being sold on Amazon. McCormick explained that they had done Amazon in the past but didn't find it feasible for the company, at least at that time. Although they agreed to try Amazon again, they counter-offered Cuban with 5%, plus 2% in "advisory shares." Neither side agreed and decided to pass. Kevin O'Leary also offered the $325,000, but wanted 20%, noting that there's a "fair amount of work ahead" with Bite Toothpaste and it's an incredibly "competitive shelf." Again, McCormick and Hunt passed.
What happened to Bite Toothpaste after Shark Tank
Although Lindsay McCormick and Asher Hunt walked away from "Shark Tank" empty-handed in 2020, it wasn't the end of their business. As McCormick said they would, the founders took Bite Toothpaste back to Amazon and have been making about $4 million annually since then — not entirely from Amazon, of course.
"We already had sales; we wanted a partner to grow the business with," McCormick told Today in 2021 about their appearance on the show. "My boyfriend, who's my co-founder, and I had decided before we even took the stage on a number that we would go up to, and that's all we could do. So when we were negotiating back and forth, we just couldn't get there. We had to walk away. Looking back, that was definitely the right call."
At the time of the 2021 interview, McCormick said Bite Toothpaste had 10 employees and was quickly hiring more. "We're growing. More people are thinking about the planet and ingredients and what they're putting in their bodies than ever before. It's a really exciting time to be a sustainable business," said McCormick.
Bite Toothpaste is still in business
As of January 2024, Bite Toothpaste is still in business and really thriving (especially for a brand that turned down financial help) with an estimated annual revenue of over $6 million. In 2022, Business Insider included Bite Toothpaste in their top toothpaste tablets, as did Women's Health. "The added xylitol helps fight cavities and promote gum health by warding off bacteria, and the sodium bicarbonate levels out the pH in your mouth and works on stain removal," Matthew Reck, DDS told Women's Health about the ingredients.
On Amazon, Bite Toothpaste has an average 4.2-star rating with some reviewers calling it better than traditional paste and great for people with sensitive teeth. Bite has also expanded their online shop to include more oral hygiene products, (New York Magazine's The Strategist just dubbed their whitening gel the best on the market), and they also now carry body care products like deodorant and cleansing bars, as well as kits. Bite currently boasts 157k followers on Instagram.
What's next for Lindsay McCormick and Asher Hunt
In September 2023, Lindsay McCormick chatted with Scott D. Clary for the Success Story Podcast to discuss her mission and the future of Bite Toothpaste, including the name change. To keep up with their growing company and diversifying products, she talked about how they are just going by Bite now, with "because of the earth" under the word on all their packages to showcase that they're not just about oral hygiene anymore. McCormick also spoke about the importance of sticking to the brand's ethos, not alienating their original customers, and how to evolve as a business that's aligned with sustainability during rapid environmental changes.
As for Hunter Ash, although he's still listed as the co-founder of Bite, he's been exploring other business ventures while McCormick does interviews and is the more visible of the two. According to Hunt's LinkedIn, he's become an angel investor for seven companies — all of which appear to be phone apps or something similar. So by all appearances, Bite and its founders are doing very well and have no intention of closing up shop.