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What Happened to the GOAT Pet Bluetooth Speaker from Shark Tank Season 9?

Umito November 4, 2024

With more than 340 episodes of ABC’s hit series “Shark Tank” having already hit the airwaves, it’s safe to say that the show’s regular cast of potential investors have seen a little bit of everything, from hopeful entrepreneurs entering the studio. every week. While the Sharks received their share of educational appstech gadgets and home security devices Over the years, products designed for pets and pet owners have also been regularly featured during the series’ primetime slots.

If you’re a regular viewer of “Shark Tank,” you may know that these products can sometimes be a tough sell, no matter how hard the entrepreneur behind them works their pitch. That was exactly the case for Michelle Winowich, who made her way onto the “Shark Tank” soundstage dressed in a Snow White costume to launch her GOAT Bluetooth speaker during an episode of the season 9..

As any “Shark Tank” fan can attest, the costumes and props — like those used in Season 13’s Tenikle Tripod Land – can be very effective in attracting panelists like Kevin O’Leary, Lori Greiner and outgoing shark Mark Cuban engage. However, good theater won’t get you far when dollars and cents are on the line, and Winowich quickly learned that when she was trying to convince one of the sharks to bite on her proposal. Here’s what happened to the GOAT pet speaker after Winowich’s “Shark Tank” appearance.

What happened to the GOAT speakers on Shark Tank?

As noted, Michelle Winowich certainly caught the attention of the “Shark Tank” panelists when she entered the studio dressed as a Disney princess. The Sharks are initially amused by his schtick, although Daymond John can’t help but make a wry comment about Winowich’s mental state after his opening speech. Although visibly annoyed by the comment, the founder of GOAT Pet Products brushes it aside and describes the details of her company’s latest product, a Bluetooth speaker that claims to let your pets talk to you.

Of course, they can’t actually make your pet speak, with GOAT speakers simply allowing owners to record messages they’d like to hear their beloved fur babies say. Nonetheless, it’s a nifty little gadget that also allows users to listen to their favorite tunes, as well as take and share photos with relative ease. To make the speaker more attractive, Winowich wrapped the multi-faceted device in adorable little animal heads fitted with collar clips. Boasting impressive sales and a $2 million-plus order from PetSmart, Winowich’s ask wasn’t exactly small, offering 9 percent of his company in exchange for a $499,000 investment.

Cuban is the first to flinch at this request, admitting that he doesn’t understand the pet market enough to throw half a million dollars at Winowich, especially after noting that 50 percent of GOAT is already owned by a other investor. Daymond John, Kevin O’Leary and Lori Greiner also succeed, each questioning the speaker’s $5 million valuation and long-term sales potential. However, animal lover Robert Herjavec showed interest, offering $499,000 in exchange for 33.3% of GOAT, a deal Winowich ultimately agreed to..

What happened to the GOAT speakers after Shark Tank?

Ultimately, it was the combination of already impressive sales of GOAT pet speakers and the potentially lucrative PetSmart deal that attracted Robert Herjavec. While Michelle Winowich undoubtedly gave up more of her company than she wanted by closing her “Shark Tank” deal, Herjavec wasn’t interested in negotiating. Despite the significant infusion of equity from GOAT, Winowich left the studio dancing, happy to have the financing necessary to accelerate the production of her speakers.

It’s unclear, however, whether Herjavec’s deal with the GOAT Pet Products founder on “Shark Tank” actually happened. In fact, a few months after Winowich taped her “Shark Tank” episode, she appeared on a local ABC affiliate’s morning show in Detroit and confirmed that they were still ironing out the details of this agreement. Whether or not GOAT received Herjavec’s $499,000 investment, the Winowich brand undoubtedly benefited from this prime-time exposure. Likewise, Winowich has taken advantage of her time in the spotlight, using it to help grow and promote the GOAT Pet Products brand.

In particular, Winowich was hot to feature GOAT’s milk dog treats in subsequent promotional experiments, emphasizing that the gluten-free products were handmade by disabled workers at Wisconsin’s Eisenhower Center. While the proverbial “Shark Tank Bump” helped elevate the GOAT brand in the pet supplies market, its products quickly sold out through online retailers like Amazon. It would appear, however, that Winowich hasn’t been able to keep the good times going, with GOAT essentially disappearing from the pet supplies market over the past couple of years..

What’s next for GOAT speakers?

As of this writing, the products are no longer available for purchase directly from GOAT, although third-party seller Amazon still offers the speakers at a discounted price of $14.99, as does Walmart. What’s perhaps more telling about GOAT’s current operational state is that its social media presence has been non-existent for some time now, with the latest product-focused posts on Facebook and X, formerly known as Twitter, dating from 2021 and 2019 respectively.

While GOAT has gone silent on social media and is now only sold online at a heavily discounted price (Winowich states they retailed for $24.99 during their 2018 pitch), it’s prudent to assume that the company is no longer in operation.. This fact is apparently supported by Winowich LinkedIn Pagewhich indicates that his term as head of GOAT ended in August 2022, after almost six years at the helm. With GOAT seemingly gone, it was back to work for Winowich, who continued to work in the pet supply field, claiming the position of vice president of U.S. sales at Finland-based PAIKKA, the same month it closed GOAT. However, Winowich did not do so. will hold this title for a very long time, ending his tenure with PAIKKA in December 2022.

In early 2023, Winowich accepted the position of Business Development Manager Consulting at Shell Oil, serving in this role until July 2024. Currently, Winowich’s LinkedIn status is set to “Open for Work”, the former of “Shark Tank” actively looking for its next venture.