Bubbly Blaster Before Shark Tank
Bubbly Blaster is the brainchild of Stason Strong. An entrepreneur, he came up with a champaign sprayer that allows you to spray a stream of the beverage up to thirty feet into the air- a tradition that began in the 1960s when race car drivers used it as a way of celebrating.
Stason came up with the prototype in his garage, which consisted of a nozzle that attaches to a champagne bottle. The way it’s designed, the pressure from the bubbles will automatically push the beverage through like a water gun. It can also be used as a stopper, which will keep the champagne nice and carbonated.
Once he perfected the design, he recruited his engineer friend Bradley Hall, who works at Space-X, to help him sell the product as he has experience with the corporate world. But the pair soon found themselves in need of funds, which led them to launch a Kickstarter campaign in 2018. Unfortunately, it wasn’t very successful as they soon found themselves in the middle of a property dispute over licensed images.
In the end, it took the pair nearly 14 months to mass produce the product and another year to build the brand before launching officially in early 2019.
Interestingly enough, it wasn’t their idea to pitch on Shark Tank. The producers of the show had actually contacted and invited them to pitch the business to their potential investors. As a longtime fan of Shark Tank, Bradley realized the amazing opportunity that was presented to them and jumped at it.
They later traveled down to California to film the segment; it was later included in episode 1210.
Bubbly Blaster On Shark Tank
Bradley and Stason walk into the tank, the latter of whom is holding what appears to be a briefcase. Upon entering, they introduce themselves and let the sharks know that they’re seeking $120,000 for 20 percent of their company, the Bubbly Blaster. Just as they’re saying that they open the briefcase to reveal the product.
With that, the friends jump into their pitch. Stason grabs a bottle of champagne from the table and mentions that the best way to celebrate is by spraying champagne. Bradley notes that while it’s a great way to celebrate, no one wants to clean up the mess afterward and that’s one of the reasons why they came up with the Bubbly Blaster. As they say that, the camera pans toward their display which consists of various pictures and descriptions. They also add that it’s a better way to celebrate with “more fun and less mess” and that it’s “guaranteed to keep the party going on longer.”
Stason jokes that it’s also a great way to celebrate when they land a deal with all five of the sharks.
Bradley goes on to explain that they designed the Bubbly Blaster so that it fits onto any champagne bottle. As he’s saying that, Stason demonstrates by putting one of the sprayers onto a bottle of champagne. Seconds later, he activates the product and it sprays a stream of the beverage into a champagne glass, which causes the sharks to laugh.
Stason explains that their patented system snaps into place and “is ready to be used immediately”. He also points out that there’s no need for shaking and that their throttling trigger is capable of shooting the beverage up to thirty feet. The sharks are noticeably amused.
Stason jokes and tells Mark it would be great to have the next time he wins the world championships.
They then end their pitch by asking who is interested in their company. As they’re finishing up, they once again demonstrate the product by spraying champagne into Bradley’s mouth, which garners laughs from the sharks.
The sharks then get their own Bubbly Blasters. Stason explains that he will be walking them through how to attach the blasters. He begins by telling them to rotate the handle. He then tells them to slide the nozzle into the champagne bottle and snap it down, which will create a strong seal. The sharks follow along with their own Bubbly Blasters.
Finally, Stason tells them to flip their champagne bottle upside down. Mark is the first to fire a stream of champagne into the air. He then releases some into his own mouth. The other sharks experiment with the Bubbly Blaster as well and they all seem to enjoy the product.
Once they’re done laughing, guest shark Alex Rodriguez asks them how they came up with the product.
Stason explains that he was at a celebration one time when he noticed that the champagne stopped spraying too fast. He and his friends wanted to make the celebration last longer so he set off to create a product that would make it possible with his mechanical engineering background. He explains that he had just created the Bubbly Blaster for fun at the time and that it wasn’t until later on- when he showed it to his friends over at Space X- that he decided to turn it into a business.
He tells the sharks that they were eventually able to make 3D-printed Bubbly Blasters with the help of his SpaceX+ friends. Continuing, he explains that was actually “done with the project” at the time and that it was his friends who urged him to bring the product to the market. He tells them that he also met Brad at the time, who was finishing his MBA, and that together, they eventually released the Bubbly Blaster. He also reveals that they’re being manufactured outside of Hong Kong.
Lori goes on to ask them about the product’s price. She also asks about their manufacturing costs. Bradley tells them it’s priced at $99.99 and costs $18.50 to make, which surprises everyone. Kevin asks how many units they’ve sold so far and Bradley reveals that they’ve sold $560,000 worth of Bubbly Blasters so far. The sharks are impressed with the numbers.
Continuing, Bradley tells them that they sell the Bubbly Blaster on both their website and Amazon.
Alex loves the product and asks them how much of the company they own and how much money they’ve raised so far. Bradley explains that he and Stason are 50-50 partners and that they’ve contributed $120,000 altogether. Asked if they have any debt, the friends are quick to say no.
Barbara goes on to ask how they will use the $125,000. They tell her they want to put it into innovating and enhancing the business as well as for additional inventory as they sold out “way too quickly”.
Lori asks them about their vision. Bradley tells her that they’ve had a lot of interest from bars, hotels, and restaurants and that they’d like to expand in that direction. Mark questions why they’re focusing on direct-to-consumer sales and tells them it’s better for hotels and other businesses to buy from them. Stason says they have a bit, but it makes up a small portion of their sales.
Mark continues and says they don’t need to go in the wholesale direction. He also asks them if it’s possible to get their manufacturing costs lower than $18.50. The friends say yes- that it’s all dependent on volume.
Asked what the volumes need to be to lower the manufacturing costs, and they tell him that they were used to doing 5,000 units at a time. Lori asks them what the cost will be if they were to produce 25,000 units and Bradley tells her it will probably be closer to $10.
Kevin is the next shark to speak. He repeats their offer and states that it’s actually “not crazy”. He also adds that they might actually get a deal.
Lori asks them about their vision. Bradley tells her that they’ve had a lot of interest from bars, hotels, and restaurants and that they’d like to expand in that direction. Mark questions why they’re focusing on direct-to-consumer sales and tells them it’s better for hotels and other businesses to buy from them. Stason says they have a bit, but it makes up a small portion of their sales.
Mark continues and says they don’t need to go in the wholesale direction. He also asks them if it’s possible to get their manufacturing costs lower than $18.50. The friends say yes- that it’s all dependent on volume.
Asked what the volumes need to be to lower the manufacturing costs, they tell him that they’re used to doing 5,000 units at a time. Lori asks them what the cost will be if they were to produce 25,000 units and Bradley tells her it will probably be closer to $10.
Kevin is the next shark to speak. He repeats their offer and states that it’s actually “not crazy”. He also adds that they might actually get a deal.
Almost immediately, Mark offers them a deal- $125,000 for 25 percent of the company. He tells them if that doesn’t work for them, he will go out. Lori comments that it’s a no-brainer. Just as Alex is about to speak, the friends say that they would love to get the two of them together on a deal. Mark agrees but notes that they will have to give up 30 percent of the company instead.
Stason and Bradley think for a few seconds before countering with a different offer- $180,000 for 30 percent. The sharks look at each other for a brief moment before agreeing. The rest of the sharks cheer as the two stand up to congratulate Stason and Bradley. They also take the opportunity to use the Bubbly Blasters.
A few more congratulations later, Stason and Bradley exit the tank.
Bubbly Blaster Now in 2024 – The After Shark Tank Update
Unfortunately, the deal with Mark and Alex never went through. They did, however, receive a huge boost in sales after being on the show. They also began receiving a plethora of videos from their customers all over the world.
Fast forward to 2024 and Bubbly Blaster is still in business. They currently offer the product in five different colors: gold, hot pink, white, rose gold, and black, all of which are listed for $99.99. Given that, it’s probably fair to say that they weren’t able to negotiate the 25,000 units deal, which would have lowered their manufacturing costs as well as product prices.
On top of that, they also sell Bubbly Blaster Entertainment Fins, which you can attach to the Bubble Blaster for decorative purposes (it’s designed to compliment all 750ml bottles). Made of durable aluminum, these fins come with flush-fitting screws and are sold for $19.99.
In addition to that, they also sell a Bubbly Blaster Entertainment Pack that allows you to attach your smartphone, GoPro, and other recording devices to the Bubbly Blaster, for $24.98.
Limited edition snapback caps with the Bubbly Blaster logo are also available for $24.99.
As far as we can tell, however, their products are no longer available on Amazon (they were available on the site when the episode originally aired). Interestingly enough, they don’t have any customer reviews either so it’s hard to know for sure what the customer feedback is like.
One thing that we do know, however, is that there are now several knockoffs on Amazon and eBay, most of which are in the $30 to $50 range.
According to LinkedIn, the friends have also founded a second business called SONU Sleep, which is released under their umbrella company, in February 2020. According to their website, they sell the world’s first mattress designed for side sleepers, which comes with a patented Comfort Channel and Support Pillow system that molds to the individual’s position. It’s currently available from their website for $2,799 (the regular retail price is $3,399 but they are having a promotion for President’s Day).
They also offer various accessories such as pillowcases, mattress covers, comfort inserts, and more. For more information, you can visit their website at sonusleep.com.
That’s not all, they also plan on creating a product that will offer a “revolutionary take on the cannabis industry”, according to a recent interview.
