If you own a pet, chances are you’ve found their hair lying around the house or clinging to your clothes. Sometimes, even as the clothes are being washed. Now, cleaning up hair that has fallen on the floor is pretty easy; however, it’s not as easy to remove hair that’s stuck to clothing. Sure, washing and drying the clothes can often times remove some of the hair, but some tends to remain on the piece of clothing. Aside from that, the only other option is to remove the hair by hand and no one wants to do that. Or at least that was the only other option until two entrepreneurs created the FurZapper.
FurZapper is a disk-shaped product with a double-sided sticky surface that has been designed to remove pet hair from clothing during washing and/or drying cycles. This product is compact and flexible so that it can withstand the tumbling of the washer and dryer, as well as durable enough to stay intact even after many washes. The way this product works is simple. Just toss the FurZapper into a load of laundry and, as the clothes are washed, the FurZapper will adhere to any pet hair. The pet hair will only stick to the product for a short amount of time before being released to be disposed in the machine. Although the FurZapper is sticky, it does not cling to clothing.
FurZapper was founded in 2017 by Michael Sweigart and his co-founder, Harry Levin. Prior to creating this eco-friendly product, Micael worked for car dealerships as an SEO and Web Marketer; however, he’s always had interest in creating his own inventions and he has a notebook to prove that. Of all of the ideas Micahel had stored away in said notebook, the FurZapper was just one that he had made a reality. The inspiration? A zombie mask made out of foam that he had at home. After the mask had been dropped on the floor, he picked it up, only to find that it had collected loose dog hair. He then rinsed it off and it was good as new. Thus giving him the design of the FurZapper.
As for the business side of the FurZapper, Michael went on to partner with Harry Levin. They ended up creating some samples of the FurZapper for their family and friends to try it out. Following that, the entrepreneurs went on to create a patent; Sweigart and Levin worked on their official website while said patent was pending. Michael handled the SEO and marketing of the product, which soon led them to selling between 50 and 100 orders each day. When the demand of FurZapper’s began to get out of hand, they entrepreneurs took a different route. Amazon FBA.
Prior to their appearance on Shark Tank, Levin introduced Sweigart to an ad he had found. It was for a program called “Made in America” that was presented by Walmart. They figured why not give it a try and they headed to Arkansas to pitch their FurZapper. During this program, the duo met many people and laundry buyers, who eventually got FurZapper to put in over 3,000 stores. From there, Sweigart and Levin were introduced to a silicone manufacturer in Wisconsin, where they were able to get help with in-demand fulfillment. Now, Sweigart and Levin would like to get and investment with a shark for additional help in expanding their product to more stores, as well as expanding their online presence.
FurZapper on Shark Tank
Michael Sweigart and Harry Levin enter the Shark Tank in search of an offer of $600,000 for a 10% equity in FurZappers. The duo pitches their product to the sharks, while handing each shark a sample. Sweigart and Levin already knew that they wanted to partner with a shark with previous experience in manufacturing, whom they knew Lori Greiner would be the perfect fit for. While they explained the product and demonstrated how to use it, the sharks already seemed to be drawn in.
Without wasting any time, Sweigart and Levin brought up the business side of FurZapper. It was time to talk about the numbers. The duo mentioned that, after just one year following their launch, they made $640,000 in sales. They also told the sharks that their first sale of the FurZapper was witih Walmart. Up until the pandemic hit, the company was on their way to reaching $5 million worth of sales; however, they did only reach $4 million. After hearing these numbers, the sharks were beyond impressed and even began questioning why Sweigart and Levin came to Shark Tank. Nonetheless, it was time to hear their offers.
Kevin O’Leary starts off by offering Sweigart and Levin two offers to choose from. The first being $600,000 for a 9.5% interest and a 5% equity. The second being $600,000 for a 20% equity. This is already off to a good start for the duo; however Barbara chimes in to make her offer. She believes that infomercials can do wonders for a company and that Sweigart and Levin should try that themselves. With that, she offers them $600,000 and a 20% equity in FurZapper. But this is when the negotiations start to get kind of intense.
Lori Greiner, who they thought would be a great fit for their company, speaks up to offer the duo $600,000 for a 19.99% equity in their company. Like the duo, Lori believes that this investment has her name written all over it. Following Lori’s offer, Mark then offers the entrepreneurs the $600,000 but with a 15% equity. At this point, Lori tried to convince Sweigart and Levin to basically ignore any other potential offers and to choose hers. Given that, she matches Mark’s offer of $600,000 and the 15% equity in FurZapper; however, this offer is contingent on them choosing her as their investor. She strongly believes that she’s the right partner for the duo.
The entrepreneurs hold off on making their final decision as they go on to ask Barbara what they can do to get her in on the deal, causing the other sharks to interrupt. They didn’t seem too happy with the duo’s decision to try to bring Barbara on board. After quite a bit of negotiating, Barbara alters her offers to $600,000 for a 15% equity and an additional $600,000 line of credit. Lori, as well as the other sharks, don’t like this change. Nonetheless, after some thought, Sweigart and Levin turned to Lori. They tell her they will make a deal with her only if she agrees to do what Barbara did – add an extended line of credit. Lori agrees and the duo accepts her offer.
FurZapper Now in 2024 – The After Shark Tank Update
Since Michael Sweigart and Harry Levin took their chances on the Shark Tank, their product, FurZapper, has been doing really well. At this time, there has not been any clear statement as to whether the deal with Lori Greiner has been closed. Nonetheless, since the episode aired, FurZapper has received many 5-star reviews on their products on Amazon. More specifically, the product has seen around 19,000 great reviews. The company has also seen a spike in sales. In fact, within a short time, they reached over $1 million in sales.
We discovered FurZapper’s success with Walmart prior to their Shark Tank success; however, now their products can be found in Bed, Bath & Beyond, Petland, ACE Hardware, and of course on Chewy and Amazon. In addition to that, FurZapper had the chance to participate in North America’s Largest Pet Retail Superzoo. And we can’t forget how many times they’ve been featured. Just a few of the titles that have featured them are CBS, Southern Living, NY Post, and Forbs. Based on all of these achievements, it’s safe to say that FurZapper has gained some popularity.
The FurZapper company tends to use platforms such as TikTok and Instagram in order to market their product and reach the best audience for them. This tactic has sure been successful as it has brought them many more sales. As of 2024, FurZapper has a net worth of around $4 million with the possible potential of that number growing in the future. To conclude this update, Sweigart and Levin have noticed that there have been counterfeit versions of FurZapper that have been known to damage clothes. On the bright side, they recently introduced two new products to their line; portable lint sheets and a grooming glove for pets.
Graduated from Washington Virtual Academies and have been a freelance writer for about 2 years now. In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my pets, gaming, etc.
