Statistics: Candace Nelson Invested $500k on Shark Tank

Three appearances were enough for Candace Nelson to find three companies she wanted. She came into Shark Tank Season 15 and made a deal every time she sat in the guest Shark chair. Gently Soap came first, then Fishwife and finally Flaus. After that, there was nothing else to add to her Shark Tank investments.

Candace was already used to building businesses before any of this. Sprinkles had made cupcakes into a much bigger brand, she helped build Pizzana, and she was investing in other companies through CN2 Ventures. So, the entrepreneurs were getting somebody who had already dealt with consumer products and getting customers to care about them, not somebody trying investing for the first time.

Flaus ended up being her biggest deal at $250,000. Gently Soap was much smaller at $75,000, while Fishwife was a $350,000 deal Candace made together with Lori Greiner. Candace is attributed $175,000 from Fishwife, bringing her three accepted commitments to $500,000.

Fishwife is where the $500,000 gets a little tricky. Candace and Lori agreed to invest $350,000 together, but nobody publicly said that meant $175,000 came from Candace and another $175,000 came from Lori. We can split it that way when attributing the deal between the two Sharks, but we cannot say that was definitely how the money was actually divided.

So, Candace gets an attributed $175,000 from Fishwife, which brings her Shark Tank total to $500,000. The two deals she made alone are much easier because there is nobody else to split the money with. We know what Candace agreed to on those, but Fishwife leaves one part of her complete amount uncertain.

How Much Did Candace Nelson Invest on Shark Tank?

The easiest number to establish for Candace Nelson is $325,000. That came from Gently Soap and Flaus, the two deals where Candace was sitting there by herself. Nobody else was putting up part of the money with her. Gently Soap was $75,000 and Flaus was $250,000.

Fishwife was the only one Candace shared with another Shark. She and Lori Greiner agreed to invest $350,000 for 6% of the company, plus another 2% in advisory shares. But nobody said how much of that $350,000 was coming from Candace and how much was coming from Lori. So, we attribute half to Candace, which gives her another $175,000.

That $175,000 is what takes Candace from $325,000 to $500,000. The $325,000 came from Gently Soap and Flaus, where Candace was the only Shark in the deal. Fishwife is different because the $175,000 is her attributed part of a shared $350,000 investment.

What happened after the show is a separate question. Gently Soap later confirmed that its deal with Candace closed, and Fishwife was later described as having Candace and Lori as financial backers. Flaus also continued connecting Candace to Samantha Coxe’s deal, but its private closing documents are not public. So, we can put Candace at $500,000 from her accepted Shark Tank deals. What we cannot do is say she definitely ended up putting that exact $500,000 into the three companies. There just isn’t enough public information to get to that number.

Candace Nelson Invested $75,000 in Gently Soap

Kristen Dunning knew the problem Gently Soap was trying to fix because she had dealt with eczema herself. She also studied horticulture and medicinal plants before making soaps for people with sensitive skin. Kristen wanted $75,000 for 10% of the company. That put Gently Soap at a $750,000 valuation.

Kevin O’Leary wanted the deal too, but his offer included a royalty. Candace stayed with equity and offered Kristen the same $75,000 she was asking for, only she wanted 25% instead of 10%. That was quite a bit more of the company to give away. Kristen still chose Candace and accepted the offer.

And this deal did not end after the episode. Kristen later said that the deal with Candace closed, and the two of them were still meeting regularly. Candace had called herself an investor in Gently Soap too. So, we have much more than Kristen simply accepting the $75,000 offer in the Tank. This one actually went through.

Candace Nelson Invested an Attributed $175,000 in Fishwife

Becca Millstein wanted $350,000 for 4% of Fishwife. That was quite a valuation, but the sales had been moving quickly. Fishwife did $750,000 in 2021 and $2.6 million the next year, with around $5.8 million expected for 2023. This was already a business doing millions in sales when Candace Nelson saw it.

There were other offers on the table. Kevin O’Leary had debt in his deal and Daymond John wanted a royalty. Candace went another way and asked Lori Greiner to join her. The two women offered $350,000 for 10%, and Becca eventually got them to 6% equity plus 2% in advisory shares.

Candace and Lori each got 1% in advisory shares. That part is clear. What we don’t know is how they split the $350,000 between them.

We do know they were still connected with Fishwife after Shark Tank. Candace and Lori were later described as financial backers, and Fishwife kept growing and getting into more major retailers. So, the two Sharks were involved beyond what we saw in the Tank.So, there is evidence that both Sharks stayed involved with the company after Shark Tank. We just never got the part that tells us how they divided the $350,000 between them. So, for Candace, we count $175,000 as her attributed part of the Fishwife deal.

Candace Nelson Invested $250,000 in Flaus

Samantha Coxe had already raised money for Flaus before Shark Tank, and the company had made about $900,000 over the previous 12 months. The product was an electric flosser, which Samantha created after having problems keeping up with regular flossing herself. She had also left her career as an attorney to work on the business. Samantha came in asking for $250,000 for 5%.

Kevin O’Leary and Daymond John had offers for Flaus too. Daymond wanted 10% for his $250,000, while Kevin had a royalty in his deal. Candace offered $250,000 for 8%. Samantha tried to get $300,000 from her instead, but Candace stayed with the $250,000 and Samantha took the deal.

And Candace had this one to herself. Candace did not have another Shark sharing this one with her, so the full $250,000 goes on her side. Flaus kept connecting Samantha’s Shark Tank deal with Candace after the show too. We just don’t have the private information showing exactly what happened with that $250,000 afterward.

What Happened to Candace Nelson’s Shark Tank Companies?

There was quite a bit happening with all three companies after Candace made her deals. Flaus reached eight figures in revenue in its second full year, according to Samantha Coxe. The company was profitable too, and Samantha said it had grown 630% over the previous year. That is a long way from the roughly $900,000 Flaus had made in the 12 months before Shark Tank.

Fishwife was showing up in a lot more stores. It expanded into thousands of retail locations, including Whole Foods and other major retailers. Becca Millstein was still running the company. Candace and Lori were also described as financial backers after Shark Tank.

Gently Soap had crossed $1 million in annual recurring revenue. Then Kristen Dunning got the company into Walmart, which was its first major retailer. She was still meeting with Candace as well. Their relationship had continued after the deal closed.

For only three Shark Tank deals, Candace ended up with three businesses that were still moving. Flaus was profitable, Fishwife had expanded heavily into retail and Gently Soap had reached Walmart. There is plenty we know about how the companies did; how much money Candace eventually made from them is something we don’t know.

How Successful Was Candace Nelson on Shark Tank?

There is one thing we cannot get from all the growth Candace’s companies had. We cannot get her return. Flaus reaching eight figures in revenue does not tell us what Candace made, and neither does Fishwife getting into thousands of stores. Gently Soap reaching Walmart does not give us that number either.

We know Candace’s Gently Soap deal closed, but we don’t know what her part of the company is worth now. With Fishwife, we don’t even know how Candace and Lori divided the $350,000 between them. Flaus kept connecting Candace with Samantha’s deal after Shark Tank too, but the private details were never made public. There just isn’t enough information from any of the three to work out what Candace made.

Candace only had three Shark Tank companies, and all three kept growing after the show. That looks pretty good. We just don’t know how much Candace actually made from Gently Soap, Fishwife or Flaus. We can judge what happened to the companies. We cannot put a dollar amount on Candace’s success with them.

Conclusion

Three deals were all Candace Nelson had on Shark Tank. She agreed to $75,000 for Gently Soap and $250,000 for Flaus by herself, while Fishwife was a $350,000 deal with Lori Greiner. We attribute $175,000 of Fishwife to Candace. That puts her complete accepted amount at $500,000.

Gently Soap gives us the clearest answer about what happened after the show. Kristen Dunning said her deal with Candace actually closed. Candace and Lori were later called financial backers of Fishwife, and Flaus continued talking about Samantha’s deal with Candace too. We just don’t have the same confirmation about exactly what happened with those two deals.

The companies certainly did not stop after Shark Tank. Flaus reached eight figures in revenue, Fishwife got into thousands of stores and Gently Soap reached Walmart. Candace picked three companies and all three kept growing.

What she made from them is another story. There is no public number for Candace’s return, and there is not enough information to calculate one ourselves. So, we can say Candace agreed to an attributed $500,000 on Shark Tank. We just cannot say what that $500,000 eventually made for her.