Here's What Went Down With Nohbo Balls After Shark Tank

It's no secret that we're all living during a critical time for ensuring we don't destroy the planet. And Ben Stern, the founder and CEO of Nohbo, is doing all he can to make the beauty and cosmetics industry as sustainable as possible. But, unlike many of the entrepreneurs who take a chance on "Shark Tank" and have been in business for years, Stern didn't even have a company when he applied for the show. "One day, I was watching 'Shark Tank' at my father's house in Maine, and after the episode, they were like, 'Apply to 'Shark Tank' here.' I had no product. I had a provisional patent I created myself and a cool idea," Stern recalled while speaking to Beauty Independent. "I sent "Shark Tank" a two-sentence email, and I got cast on the show. They called me and said, "Do you have product?" I said, 'Absolutely,' and I raced to get everything together for the show."

That idea Stern was so invested in (and, clearly, so was "Shark Tank")? Earth-friendly, biodegradable water-soluble pods and sheets that can hold everything from shampoos to body washes with absolutely no harmful microplastics. Nohbo's goal is to stop the need for any kind of single-use plastic and instead focus on pods that are totally biodegradable and leave no trace of any packaging. And amazing things happened when he joined the ranks of sustainable businesses like Retold Recycling on "Shark Tank."

Nohbo made its debut on "Shark Tank" Season 7 in 2016, when Ben Stern was just 16-years-old. Stern entered the Tank alongside his grandmother, which immediately caught the sharks' attention. The super young entrepreneur was looking to trade 20% of his company for $100,000. At the time, he'd created a shampoo ball and gave a live demonstration of how it worked on his grandmother's hair. What really seemed to pique the Shark's interest, though, was when the Stern explained he had two patents pending and planned to license the technology to big beauty brands.

But sadly for the youngster, Lori Greiner declared herself out early because she deemed the business was too young in its development stages for her to invest. Kevin O'Leary also wasn't willing to part with his money. But, that still left three Sharks in who were all very interested. Robert Herjavec offered all the money for 20%, but noted he wouldn't be willing to hand over the cash until the patents were confirmed. Mark Cuban was also super excited about the product, and explained how he could get it off the ground the next day ... However, he wanted 25% of the company for his investment. Barbara Corcoran was also in, offering to introduce Stern to Estee Lauder. She said if Stern could successfully sell the product to the brand, she'd invest. But Stern knew who he wanted. Even though Cuban was looking for 5% more equity than his co-stars, the two struck a lucrative deal by the end of the episode.

Following Nohbo's appearance on "Shark Tank," Ben Stern had to go back to the drawing board. He revealed in a "Shark Tank" update that aired in 2021 that the shampoo ball design he initially took on the show didn't really work in the real world. He then worked for two years and developed hundreds of prototypes in order to create the Nohbo product as we know it today in the form of soluble drops. It was after this breakthrough that the business really started to fly. Stern shared that soon after launching the drops, the company landed a deal worth $14 million. At the time, Mark Cuban revealed that they had big plans for Nohbo, including goal to launch a subscription service. "This literally could be a $100 million enterprise over the next five to six years," Cuban predicted. It makes sense. After all, we could all be doing better when it comes to reusing and recycling our beauty products, and Nohbo takes that notion one step further.

As the update segment aired, it seemed Lori Greiner may have had some regrets about not investing as she took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share her praise for the young entrepreneur. "Inspiring story about taking such a painful journey and using it to motivate & be determined to succeed. I know your Bubbe is so proud!" she tweeted (via Florida Today), referring to the nickname Stern gave his grandmother, who passed away following his "Shark Tank" appearance.

Nohbo is still very much in business at the time of writing, and totally thriving. In 2020, the company raised a further $3 million in seed funding, landing investments from Material Impact and Safer Made. It also received additional funding from Mark Cuban via his Radical Investments firm. This came about after Stern revealed in 2018 that Cuban had invested more money into the business post-"Shark Tank." "Mark Cuban has been an amazing partner and is still very involved. He just gave us another early tier funding bump. I talk with him every week and speak with his team of advisors daily. I've never seen anyone more responsive to emails," Stern told Medium of his business partner.

And things have only continued to get better and better for Nohbo. In 2023, the company joined the B Corp Beauty Coalition, a group determined to combat waste and unsustainable practices in the beauty world. "We are excited to be part of a very elite group as a B Corporation and beyond proud to be joining B Corp Beauty Coalition," Ben Stern said in a press release. During that time, Nohbo also started getting some public recognition. That same year, the company was the grand winner at the Ocean Impact Organization Awards. The following year, in 2024, it took home a Sustainable Innovation Award at the Seal Business Sustainability Awards. Not only that, but Stern told Grocery Doppio in 2023 the company had an exciting pilot project with Disney in the works. 

It certainly seems like Nohbo has no plans to slow down anytime soon. And Ben Stern is ready to be there every step of the way, with some big plans. "Growing fast is important, but it's very difficult to populate the organization with the right hires and skill sets," he explained to Beauty Independent of how he plans to allow the business to grow, but at a sustainable rate. "We want to get one thing right first. We want to gain market adoption in personal care prior to getting into food. It's about a methodical approach versus a distracting one."

As for what else the business has in the works as it continues to grow? It sounds like Stern is determined to keep working on creating new sustainable ideas and launching new products that can help save the world. One of those new innovations is the company's Hydrofills product, which the entrepreneur discussed with Grocery Doppio. "It is a water-soluble pod where users add eight ounces of tap water to a single product. After a quick 30 second shake, a full container of viscous shampoo, creamy conditioner, or gel like body wash forms." He added, "It's an extremely affordable way of being hyper sustainable." And, with the way this business is going, we'd put good money on this company taking over the world... one sustainable pod at a time.