Wild Earth Net Worth Shark Tank Update 2025

In order to acquire 5% of his business Wild Earth Ryan Bethencourt applied for $550,000 on Shark Tank. Healthy pet food produced by Wild Earth is better for the environment and dogs. The company specializes in producing dog food with plant-based ingredients. According to Ryan a lot of dog food is bad. They include unhealthy fillers and too much fat. That was something Ryan wished to alter. He used koji to create a new kind of dog food. 

A particular kind of fungus called koji is employed in soy sauce and miso. It is good for dogs and high in protein. Ryan wanted to create dog food that was environmentally friendly and beneficial to pets. But Ryan had a significant obstacle to overcome. His business had not yet begun to sell and had made no sales. Will the entrepreneur get a deal on Shark Tank? Check out the Wild Earth update to find out!

Wild Earth Net Worth Shark Tank Update 2025

Ryan Bethencourt asked for a $550,000 investment in exchange for 5% equity in Wild Earth. This meant he valued his company at $11 million. He made a deal with Mark Cuban for $550,000 in exchange for 10% equity, which valued his company at $5.5 million. After the show aired, Wild Earth 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 Wild Earth is about $13.1 million.

Following Shark Tank Wild Earth expanded and achieved success. The business also raised millions of dollars. They first began selling their goods online before branching out to sites like Amazon. Wild Earth expanded quickly. They kept concentrating on creating nutritious pet food with plant-based ingredients. The show increased the company’s valuation. Investors and pet owners began paying greater attention to them. 

Wild Earth is still operating in 2024. They currently sell their goods online in a variety of locations. The business is still growing and has increased the range of products it offers. These days Wild Earth earns millions of dollars annually. The business has advanced significantly since its Shark Tank debut. It is currently regarded as one of the market leaders for plant-based pet food.

On Shark Tank, Wild Earth did really get a deal. Ryan Bethencourt wanted to buy 5% of his business for $550,000. The majority of sharks left after hearing the pitch. They were worried about the company’s low sales and high valuation. But Mark Cuban thought Wild Earth had potential. He offered $550,000 in exchange for 10% ownership. The offer was accepted by Ryan. 

Wild Earth was able to raise additional funds and expand as a result of this agreement. The business has since made millions of dollars and grown in value. The success of the business was greatly influenced by the agreement with Mark Cuban. He guided the business and helped it to new heights. Ryan and his crew achieved a significant victory.


Shark(s) name
Offer & DemandCounterofferAccepted?
Matt HigginsOut N/AN/A
Lori GreinerOutN/AN/A
Kevin O’LearyOut N/AN/A
Daymond JohnOut N/AN/A
Mark Cuban$550,000 for 10% equityN/AYes 

Wild Earth Shark Tank pitch

Ryan Bethencourt is an entrepreneur in the biotech industry. He has expertise in developing novel food varieties. He drew inspiration for Wild Earth from his experience. Ryan aimed to develop a nutritious substitute for conventional pet food. He observed the issues with conventional dog food. Unhealthy components are used in many dog diets.

They contain a lot of unhealthy fats and fillers that are bad for pets. Ryan wished to support the environment as well. He was aware of the negative environmental effects of conventional dog food made from meat. Its production requires a lot of area and water. He was looking for a better answer.

The concept of making dog food using koji inspired Ryan. A fungus called koji is used to make soy sauce and miso. Amino acids and protein are abundant in it. It was therefore the ideal element for dog food. Ryan and his crew started experimenting with koji. They created a special method for using koji in pet food. They thought it could address a lot of issues with conventional dog food.

But starting the business was not simple. Ryan and his group had a lot of obstacles to overcome. They needed to create a brand-new dog food. Much research and development was needed for this. Establishing a brand also requires time. Wild Earth began with an extremely high valuation and no revenues. This initially made it difficult to attract investors to the business. 

During his Shark Tank pitch, Ryan Bethencourt described the issues with conventional dog food. He made the point that a lot of dog food is unhealthy. Pets become overweight due to the fats and fillers they contain. Ryan added that dog food has a significant effect on the ecosystem. Traditional dog food production is resource-intensive and detrimental to the environment.

Ryan clarified that Wild Earth uses plant-based products to address these issues. His business makes high-protein dog food with koji. A fungus called koji is abundant in the nutrients that dogs require. Ryan thought his invention might benefit both the environment and animals. His goal was to transform the pet food sector.

Ryan requested 5% of Wild Earth in return for $550,000.He claimed that Wild Earth might upend the $30 billion pet food industry in the US. But the sharks didn’t believe it. Ryan acknowledged that there were no sales for Wild Earth. The business was still in the early stages of research and development. He added that Wild Earth was valued at $11 million. The sharks were not happy about this.

They were curious as to how Ryan could defend this high valuation in the absence of any sales. Ryan remained steadfast in his assessment. He added that he had previously raised $4 million. Felicis Ventures and Peter Thiel were among his major backers. The sharks did not find it impressive. They were interested in learning more about the product’s price and potential market. The sharks’ challenging questions caused a heated debate. 

Ryan’s pitch did not persuade the sharks. They had a lot of inquiries concerning the company and the product. Kevin O’Leary asked the opening query. “What do dogs crave?” he enquired. He believed that dogs wanted meat. Many dogs will eat nearly anything, Ryan explained. He maintained that dogs may be just as healthy on a diet devoid of meat. Kevin was not impressed by this.

He continued to think that dogs need meat to stay healthy. Ryan was also asked about the product by Lori Greiner. She worried that the cost of the dog food was overwhelming. She thought that vegan dog food would be too expensive for pet owners. Ryan clarified that Wild Earth snacks would sell for $12.99, with a $3.50 production cost. 

The product became a premium item as a result. The hefty cost did not sit well with the sharks. Their goal was to find out if consumers would really spend that much money on dog food. Next to ask questions was Mark Cuban. He enquired about the manufacturing process and Wild Earth’s laboratory. Ryan clarified that the koji were grown in bioreactors. According to him, they possessed effective and scalable strains of koji.

Ryan added that their product was being sold online. The sharks wanted to know whether the product could scale and whether it would sell online. According to Ryan, they had a strategy for spreading the word. He thought social media and word-of-mouth would help their goods get out there. The sharks were still not sure though. Proof that the product could truly sell was what they were looking for.

Ryan’s responses did not appear to persuade the sharks. The first person to go was Kevin O’Leary. He thought the product had no sales history and was excessively costly. Lori Greiner left as well. She believed that the company’s proof of concept was insufficient. Damon John left as well. The high appraisal in his opinion was a significant problem. The same was true for Robert Herjavec. He decided to leave since he didn’t think the product had enough potential. 

The only shark who remained interested was Mark Cuban. Mark thought Wild Earth had the potential to be a major force in the pet food industry. He offered $550,000 in exchange for 10% of the business. After hesitating Ryan finally agreed to the proposition. It was a significant event for Wild Earth. Mark’s contribution aided in the expansion and growth of the business. He contributed his knowledge in company scaling and marketing. Wild Earth was able to get the resources it required for success because of this agreement.

What Went Wrong With Wild Earth on Shark Tank?

On Shark Tank Wild Earth’s high valuation was the main issue. Wild Earth was worth $11 million and Ryan requested $550,000 for 5% of the business. Given that there were no sales and only research and development being done the sharks did not think the company was worth that much. The expensive cost of the product was another concern raised by several of the sharks. They thought vegan dog food would be too expensive for pet owners. 

The absence of proof of concept and sales were other significant problems. More proof that the product could sell and be successful in the market was what the sharks were looking for. Concerns were also raised about the product’s high pricing and cost of goods. Ultimately in order to reach an agreement with Mark Cuban Wild Earth had to bargain down to 10% ownership.

Product Availability

Plant-based components are used to make vegan dry dog chow from Wild Earth. The meal makes use of koji, a kind of fungus that is high in amino acids and protein. This renders the food a nutritious substitute for conventional dog food that contains meat. Using the same materials, Wild Earth also sells snacks. 

Both the company’s website and Amazon offer the products for purchase online. With goodies costing about $12.99 each bag, Wild Earth is renowned for being a high-end offering. To cut expenses the business is concentrating on selling products online. In the future, they intend to scale and increase the size of their products.

Conclusion

It was a difficult trip for Wild Earth on Shark Tank. Convincing the sharks to invest was challenging due to the high valuation and lack of sales. But Ryan Bethencourt persevered and it paid off. Wild Earth expanded as a result of the agreement he was able to negotiate with Mark Cuban. 

Since then the business has grown and emerged as a market leader for plant-based pet food. Wild Earth is on course to generate millions of dollars in income from its ongoing internet sales. Wild Earth has a promising future thanks to Mark Cuban.