Banana Phone Net Worth Shark Tank Update 2025

Working in an office can be boring, and it’s hard to make real connections with people. The culprits are all the messages and emails we get on a daily basis. Plus, there’s not enough fun in the world. That’s what Brian Brunsing and Max Brown from Buffalo, New York, thought when they came up with their idea for the business.

They created Banana Phone, a banana-shaped Bluetooth handset that connects to your smartphone. It lets you talk to friends, family, or even the IRS on a banana. They called it a “phone with appeal” and said it would help people have more real conversations.

Brian and Max went on Shark Tank asking for $250,000 for 10% of their company. They showed how the Banana Phone worked and even played some music through it. The Sharks were surprised when they heard about the sales. But did the Sharks think this fruity phone was a good investment? Find out in our Banana Phone Shark Tank Update!

banana phone Net Worth Shark Tank Update 2025

Brian Brunsing and Max Brown asked for a $250,000 investment in exchange for 10% equity in their company. This meant they valued their company at $2.5 million. After the show aired, Banana Phone saw a big increase in website traffic, sales, and social media exposure. With an estimated 10% yearly growth rate (typical business growth), the current net worth of Banana Phone is about $3.67 million.

Not getting a deal on “Shark Tank” can be tough for business owners who worked hard to get on the show. But it doesn’t mean their company will fail. In fact, some businesses that left without a deal still became very successful.

Copa di Vino is a good example of this. So, how did the Banana Phone do after the show? The team did get benefits from being on Shark Tank. They started getting more orders and have placed themselves among the big retailers like Walmart. 

None of the Sharks invested in Banana Phone, but for different reasons. Kevin thought selling in stores was a bad idea and didn’t want this odd product in his investments. Mark liked the idea but felt it wouldn’t make enough money to be worth his investment. Robert didn’t think the business could grow enough.

Lori was worried that the product might be popular for a short time but would dip in demand. Barbara’s main concern was that the founders weren’t working on Banana Phone full-time. She felt it would slow down the company’s growth. Keep reading our Banana Phone update to see what happens next!

Shark(s) Name	Offer and Demand	Counteroffer	Accepted?
Kevin O’Leary	Out	N/A	N/A
Barbara Corcoran	Out	N/A	N/A
Mark Cuban	Out	N/A	N/A
Robert Herjevac	Out	N/A	N/A
Lori Greiner	Out	N/A	N/A

Banana Phone Shark Tank pitch

Brian Brunsing worked for Visa as his main job. He came up with the Banana Phone idea in 2016 while trying to avoid a work call. Brian spent a lot of his free time working on Banana Phone. He would often put in late nights and weekends to make it happen. He revealed that this was his side project, something he did in addition to his regular job.

Max Brown was the president of Garrett Leather, which he said was the world’s biggest supplier of Italian upholstery leather. Like Brian, Max also worked on Banana Phone in his spare time. He saw it as a fun side business that he could grow alongside his main job at Garrett Leather.

Brian and Max started their pitch by pointing out three problems with office life: 

1. It was boring
2. Hard to make real connections
3. Not fun enough. 

They then introduced their solution, the Banana Phone. This was a banana-shaped Bluetooth handset that connected to people’s smartphones. They called it a “phone with appeal” and said it would help people have better conversations and more fun.

The founders showed how the Banana Phone worked. It could make and receive calls and play music. They further explained that 1% of their revenue would go to gorilla conservation. They asked for $250,000 for 10% of their company, hoping the Sharks would see the potential in their fruity phone idea.

Kevin O’Leary was surprised at the valuation of the company. He wanted to know if there were any sales. The founders proudly shared that they’d made over $1.6 million in total sales, with $400,000 in net income. Robert Herjavec wanted more recent numbers. Brian revealed that last year’s sales reached $540,000, with $123,000 in net income over the past 12 months. 

Lori Greiner was interested in the story behind the product. Max told her about his “aha moment” in 2016. He was trying to avoid a work call with a banana in his hand when the idea struck him. After some quick online searches, he found that many people had joked about banana phones. But no one had actually made one.

Kevin then asked about the production costs and how much they sell it for.  Brian explained that each Banana Phone sold for $39.99 online but only cost them $6 to make. This healthy profit margin caught the Sharks’ attention. Barbara Corcoran wanted to know whether they had thought about patenting.  Brian admitted they didn’t have a design patent because these are easy to copy. Instead, they protected their brand with a trademark.  

Robert also noticed the recent jump in sales. He was curious as to what the founders changed to increase that number. Max explained their shift to online advertising was the key to their growth. Barbara thought the advertisement would cost the founders a lot of money.

Max surprised her by saying they spent $9 to get each new customer. Lori thought this was a good deal.  Lastly, Kevin asked about what they would do with the $250,000. Max said they wanted to start selling in physical stores, mentioning Bed Bath & Beyond for starters.

Despite the fun and quirky nature of Banana Phone, all five Sharks decided not to invest in the business. Each Shark had their own reasons for stepping away.

Kevin O’Leary thought the idea of selling Banana Phones in retail stores was too risky. He felt the product was too unusual and didn’t fit with the other investments in his portfolio. Because of this, Kevin decided not to invest.

Mark Cuban appreciated how the founders turned a fruit into a money-making idea. But, he was worried that the business wouldn’t make enough profit to give him a good return on his investment. He thought the Banana Phone was a good small business but not something he wanted to invest in.

Robert Herjavec praised the founders for turning their ideas into reality. Still, Robert couldn’t see how Banana Phone could grow into a big business. He felt it wasn’t a good fit for an investor, so he also said no.

Lori Greiner explained that she doesn’t usually invest in novelty products. She was mainly worried that sales of Banana Phones might go up quickly at first but then drop off just as fast. She also thought the product wasn’t right for her investment style, so she decided not to make an offer.

Barbara Corcoran had a different concern from the other Sharks. She didn’t like that the founders were working part-time on Banana Phone. Barbara believed the business needed full-time attention to grow properly. Since the founders weren’t ready to quit their day jobs, Barbara felt the business wouldn’t succeed fast enough. For this reason, she also chose not to invest.

What Went Wrong With Banana Phone on Shark Tank?

Kevin O’Leary had grave concerns regarding their retail expansion plan. He viewed it as being too risky. Mark Cuban doubted the potential for high returns on his $250,000 investment. Robert questioned the business’s ability to scale. It was a novelty item, and none of the founders worked full-time.

Lori was worried about the product’s long-term appeal to customers. It wasn’t a product she believed people would want to buy all year round.  Barbara was highly concerned about the founders’ part-time commitment to the business. Despite its initial success, these factors led all five Sharks to not invest in Banana Phone.

Product Availability

You can purchase the Banana Phone through their official website, Amazon and Walmart. So far, they’ve only launched one product. No other product has been launched yet. The price of the product is still $39.99, and 1% of the revenue is going to save the gorillas in Congo. They haven’t introduced any other accessory to the Banana Phone, nor new colors. 

Conclusion

Brian and Max came to Shark Tank with a fun idea and impressive sales. They asked for $250,000 for 10% of their company. The founders had good numbers backing their novelty item. As the Sharks questioned the product, they learned about how the product was made, how much it cost, and how it was sold.

They did find the product interesting and praised the founders for their innovative approach. But they all had their worries about investing in the company. In the end, none of the Sharks offered a deal. 

They left the Tank without investment but with valuable feedback and national TV exposure for their fruity phone idea. It gave them the much-needed momentum to go after retail and expand the business further.