What Happened to PolarPro from Season 7 of Shark Tank?

Photographers, filmmakers and content creators are always looking for new ways to improve their skills and improve the quality of their work. Upgrade your camera equipment An important way to do this is to give your projects a fresh look while making room for new ideas. That desire appears to be very much present at camera accessory company PolarPro, which is part of what helped the brand and its founder land a spot on Season 7 of ABC’s hit reality series “Shark Tank.”

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PolarPro’s specialty is developing camera equipment and technology for people on the move. The comprehensive product line includes products designed to work with GoPros, smartphones, drones and more, ensuring quality and convenience are top priorities for customers. Its most popular items include a selfie stick with a built-in battery, a dedicated camera bag with an integrated battery grip, and heavy-duty cinema-quality drone filters.

Founder Jeff General founded PolarPro in 2011. While attending the University of California Santa Barbara, General joined the school’s ski club. He tried filming his ski adventures but was disappointed by the poor video quality. Overall, he discovered how much his images improved when a DSLR polarizing filter was attached to his GoPro; this helped protect it from harsh UV rays. This led him to create his own line of polarizing filters and other equipment for traveling outdoor content creators, using $2,000 of his student loans to start the company.

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Jeff Overall sought an investment of $500,000 for 10% of PolarPro. Overall, he entered the tank with his personality on full display, not trying to hide his surfer boy accent and wearing a pair of flip-flops. Still, he maintained a bright and professional demeanor while demonstrating the capabilities of his equipment. The company currently has 31 products on the market. Its products are available online and in 12,000 independent stores. Drone camera filters are among the best-selling products; The price is between $69.99 and $149.99 and the production cost is around $12.

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While in 2011 PolarPro’s total revenue was only $8,000, this figure quickly rose to $2.8 million in 2014. The team is on track to surpass $5 million in revenue by the end of this year and has no debt. Overall, this growth is credited to the company constantly reinvesting in its product range, which has allowed it to stay ahead of its competitors. The only downside is that it eats into PolarPro’s profitability; It spends $1 million overall on research and development and expects to make a profit of only $300,000 that year. However, with the rising drone market and the desire to get into big-box stores like Best Buy, General believes they could reach $40 to $50 million within the next few years.

Kevin O’Leary backed out of the deal, worried that PolarPro would struggle to compete and margins would diminish over time. Lori Greiner is offering $500,000 for 10 percent, and Daymond John is offering $1 million for 17.5 percent. Eventually, the General reaches a deal with Mark Cuban and Robert Herjavec for $1 million in exchange for 20% equity.

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PolarPro’s “Shark Tank” segment aired on November 13, 2015, as the eighth episode of Season 7. Often businesses taking part in the program experience a unique phenomenon known as the “Shark Tank” effect, where they see a sudden increase in sales. and website traffic occurring immediately following the airing of episodes. PolarPro was no exception, and its founder was surprised to find that the “Shark Tank” effect lasted longer than expected.

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To talk Forbes A little over a month after the episode first aired, Jeff General shared that their website had gone from an average of six to ten visitors at a time to 9,000 visitors at one point. “Surprisingly there has been no decrease in traffic either, there are still an average of 100-150 people on the site at any given time which is pretty nice.” In addition to seeing the increased interest as a way to attract major retailers like Target and Best Buy, he also shared plans to use the capital to expand production, add new products for drones and mobile devices to its lineups, and jumpstart new products for drones and mobile devices. latest industry trends.

The deal with Mark Cuban and Robert Herjavec was never completed because investors lost interest during the due diligence period and Overall no longer needed the financing that much. However, this did not stop the company from launching new products in the years following the fair, such as the waterproof GoPro strap, PowerGrip H2O and the innovative lens protector Defender.

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Even without the help of Mark Cuban and Robert Herjavec, PolarPro is still going strong. The company has a strong presence across various platforms, reaching over 330,000 followers on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X and YouTube. Much of the team’s content focuses on promoting products and providing useful tutorials for creators.

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You can currently find PolarPro products online at the following retailers: Amazon. It is also available at select retailers in countries such as the United States, Brazil, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, France and Germany. At one point it appeared that PolarPro products could also be purchased at Best Buy, but as of this writing, nothing from the company is in stock anywhere. The best place to buy any of PolarPro products official website. Here you’ll find a wide variety of filters, matte boxes, drone and GoPro accessories, adapters, upgrade rings, cell phone filmmaker kits and more.

Jeff Overall and company have managed to take PolarPro to some exciting places in the years following “Shark Tank,” and they’re likely to continue soaring. As drones continue to evolve and with their usage expected to grow, PolarPro is sure to continue building an audience. The brand is more ready than ever to expand its horizons as it moves into the future.

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While PolarPro is mostly known for its outdoor camera products, the company has also been dabbling in other areas of camera technology lately that promise more exciting developments. In August 2024, PolarPro introduced its first set of DSLR lenses. LightLeak Series. Currently available in 16mm, 28mm and 50mm focal lengths, the lenses have been specifically designed to evoke the essence of film-style photography, largely thanks to the customizable light leak feature that gives images and videos an added sense of warmth and texture. The few people who have purchased these so far seem happy with them, judging by the perfect five-star average rating on the site. If it’s as successful as its other products, it’s likely the company will continue to expand its DSLR lens lineup.

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PolarPro’s next major release in September 2024 will be more direct in its efforts to appeal to movie fans. Movie Vault Available in 35mm and 120 medium format rolls, it is a stylish aluminum film box made in collaboration with world-renowned photographer Peter McKinnon for a simple yet secure way to house up to five rolls of film. With Using film is becoming increasingly fashionable It is certain that PolarPro will find a place for itself in this market among photographers.