Statistics: Matt Higgins Invested $1.52 Million on Shark Tank

Matt had been around professional sports for a long time before Shark Tank. He worked with the New York Jets, later became vice chairman of the Miami Dolphins and started RSE Ventures with Stephen Ross. But before all of that, Matt had worked in New York City government and then on the rebuilding of Lower Manhattan after 9/11.

Matt was not in the Tank long enough to make a lot of deals. He made three during Season 10. Then Season 11 gave him just one more with Tailgate N Go. That left Matt with only four accepted deals from all his Shark Tank appearances.

Those four agreements put $1.52 million on Matt’s side. But most of that number came from two pretty big deals. Beyond Sushi gives Matt an attributed $750,000 and Urban Float adds another $500,000. Neither deal actually made it through after filming.

How Much Did Matt Higgins Invest on Shark Tank?

Season 10 gave Matt almost all of his Shark Tank amount. Beyond Sushi was a $1.5 million deal with Lori Greiner, and the two Sharks never said that one of them was putting in more money than the other. So, we count half for Matt and put $750,000 on his side. Urban Float was another $500,000 from Matt himself.

Then there was Cup Board Pro. All five Sharks came together with $100,000, and this time we know they were each putting in $20,000. Those three deals take Matt to $1.27 million from Season 10. He did not make another deal until Tailgate N Go in Season 11.

Tailgate N Go added the remaining $250,000. Matt also had a $50 royalty coming back to him on every unit until he received his $250,000 again, but that was not more money going into the company. Put the four deals together and Matt gets to $1.52 million. But $1.25 million of that came from Beyond Sushi and Urban Float, and neither agreement actually closed after Shark Tank.

Matt Higgins Invested an Attributed $750,000 in Beyond Sushi

Guy Vaknin was already running Beyond Sushi in New York when he came into Shark Tank. He and his wife, Tali, had built the restaurants around plant-based food, using vegetables, fruits and grains in the sushi. Guy wanted to take the business much further than New York. Guy wanted $1.5 million to help him grow Beyond Sushi. Matt liked the business, but Lori Greiner wanted in too. Together, they offered the full $1.5 million for 30% of the new West Coast business and 15% of what Guy already had on the East Coast. They never said how they were splitting the money between them, so we count $750,000 for Matt.

But Matt never actually became an investor in Beyond Sushi. Guy went through due diligence and kept talking with Matt and Lori after filming, but he eventually decided not to go through with the deal. He kept the business without either Shark. Beyond Sushi is still around today as part of Guy’s City Roots Hospitality business.

Matt Higgins Invested $20,000 in Cup Board Pro

Keith Young had wanted to bring Cup Board Pro into Shark Tank himself. He was a New York firefighter and a chef, and he had made a cutting board with a tray underneath it to catch scraps and liquids. But Keith died from a 9/11-related cancer before he got the chance. His children Kaley, Christian and Keira eventually brought his invention into the Tank for him.

The three asked for $100,000 for 10%. This time, all five Sharks wanted to be part of the deal. They offered $100,000 for 20%, with each Shark putting in $20,000. So, Matt only had a small part of the money going into Cup Board Pro.

But the Sharks were not planning to keep the money they made from this one for themselves. They agreed that proceeds from their investment would go to charities helping firefighters and first responders affected by 9/11. Cup Board Pro later made it into Williams Sonoma, and updates put its sales above $7 million. The deal really did go forward after Shark Tank.

Matt Higgins Agreed to Invest $500,000 in Urban Float

Urban Float had already moved beyond one float center by the time Scott Swerland and Joe Beaudry came into Shark Tank. They had several locations and had started franchising the business too. Customers would get into a pod filled with Epsom-salt water and spend time floating without much going on around them. Scott and Joe wanted $500,000 for 5% of Urban Float.

Matt liked the business enough to offer all of the money, but he wanted a much bigger piece for it. His offer started at $500,000 for 15%. Scott and Joe kept going back and forth with Matt until they got him down to 12.5%. They agreed to take his $500,000 at that number.

But the $500,000 never made it into Urban Float. The deal fell apart while everything was being checked after Shark Tank, and Matt did not become an investor. Scott and Joe kept the company going without him. Urban Float is still around today.

Matt Higgins Invested $250,000 in Tailgate N Go

The Johnson family got the idea for Tailgate N Go after a camping trip did not go very smoothly. Ron Johnson and his children, Taylor and Kobe, had forgotten some of the things they needed for cooking and ended up with everything spread around the picnic table. They eventually put those problems into one portable outdoor kitchen. It could hold the cooking equipment and take different attachments, including a grill, sink and cutting board.

The Johnsons came in wanting $250,000 for 10%. Matt was not interested enough at first and went out. But the family really wanted Matt because they thought his years around professional sports could help Tailgate N Go. They got Matt interested again. He came back with $250,000 for 20%, plus $50 from every unit until his $250,000 had been paid back.

Matt really did stay with Tailgate N Go after Shark Tank. And the sports experience the Johnson family wanted him for ended up helping the company. Matt’s sports connections helped Tailgate N Go get into NFL licensing. That meant the company could put NFL team branding on its outdoor kitchens. Tailgate N Go has NCAA products too, and the business is still around today.

What Happened to Matt Higgins’ Shark Tank Companies?

Cup Board Pro had a lot happen after the Young family left the Tank. Williams Sonoma came in and worked with the family to make and sell the cutting board. Sales later went past $7 million. And the money the Sharks made from the investment was going to charities for firefighters and first responders affected by 9/11.

Tailgate N Go kept Matt with the business after Shark Tank. And the sports connections the Johnson family had wanted from him ended up helping them get NFL licensing. The company is still around and selling its outdoor kitchens today.

Beyond Sushi kept going without Matt and Lori. Guy Vaknin decided not to take their money and continued with the business on his own. Urban Float did much the same thing after Matt’s $500,000 deal did not go through. So, Matt’s four Shark Tank companies are all still around, even though he only ended up investing in two of them.

How Successful Was Matt Higgins on Shark Tank?

Cup Board Pro went on to sell more than $7 million after Shark Tank. Williams Sonoma worked with the Young family to make and sell the cutting board, so the product got much bigger than it had been in the Tank. Matt had only put $20,000 into the deal. And whatever the Sharks made from their part was supposed to go to charities for firefighters and first responders affected by 9/11.

Matt had much more of his own money in Tailgate N Go. That company is still around, and it got the NFL licensing that Matt’s sports background could help with. His deal also had $50 coming back to him from every unit until he had received his original $250,000. We just do not know how much of that money actually came back.

The other $1.25 million in Matt’s Shark Tank total never became investments. Beyond Sushi and Urban Float both continued without him after their deals fell apart. So, there is no return for Matt to count from either one. And with no public return from Tailgate N Go, there is not one number we can use for how much Matt made from Shark Tank.

Where Is Matt Higgins Now?

Matt is still working with Stephen Ross all these years after the two started RSE Ventures in 2012. RSE has grown quite a bit since then. Its portfolio is now worth multiple billions of dollars, and Matt is still running the company as co-founder and CEO. There are investments in sports and entertainment, but RSE also has money in restaurants, consumer businesses, media and technology.

Matt has spent some of his time at Harvard Business School too. He is an Executive Fellow there, and one of the classes he co-teaches is about moving beyond direct-to-consumer businesses. Matt also put some of what he had learned into a book. Burn the Boats came out in 2023 and went on to become a Wall Street Journal bestseller.

And the Miami Dolphins are no longer part of Matt’s job. He had been the team’s vice chairman for years, but that ended in 2021. But RSE Ventures is still giving him plenty of companies to invest in and work with. And that is where most of Matt’s business work is happening today.

Final Words

Matt put $1.52 million on the table with only four Shark Tank deals. And $1.25 million of that came from just Beyond Sushi and Urban Float. Beyond Sushi and Urban Float were the biggest deals Matt made in the Tank. But neither one ended with Matt actually putting his money into the business.

The two smaller deals were the ones that really got Matt as an investor. Cup Board Pro only had $20,000 coming from him, and the product later went past $7 million in sales. But Matt and the other Sharks had already agreed not to keep what they made from the investment. It would go to charities helping firefighters and first responders.

Matt also really became an investor in Tailgate N Go. And the sports background the Johnson family wanted from him later helped them get NFL licensing. So, Matt made only four deals during his time on Shark Tank, and only two ended up with him as an investor. Season 11 was the last time he added another one.