The Blowzee Before Shark Tank
When it comes to birthdays, individuals are eager to blow their candles out as quick as possible, so they can have some cake. However, one thing that may not have occurred to some people is the possibility of germs being passed into the cake when the individual blows out said candles. While we may not have thought about this, the founders of The Blowzee have, and they’ve created a fun way to reduce those germs from spreading.
The Blowzee is a tube that is used when individuals blow out their candles. On one end of the tube, there is a fan and, on the other end, there is a whistle-like hole. When The Blowzee is blown into, it uses an electronic sensor that is able to sense when the air is being blown through. Once that sensor detects the air, the fan on the other end will begin to spin. Ultimately, the fan itself is what blows out the flame of the candle, while the individuals air makes its way back to them. The Blowzee operates on a lithium battery, so it should not be cleaned in a dishwasher.
Entrepreneur, Mark Apelt, is the original founder of The Blowzee, although he does have a silent partner who prefers to remain anonymous. Mark is a graduate from the University of Virginia who lives in Richmond with his son, Jake Apelt. He’d always go with Jake to any birthday parties he was being invited to; however, as someone who would like to avoid germs, these occasions would be difficult for Mark. Especially after one birthday party in particular. At said party, once it became time for the birthday star to blow out their candles, the parents all noticed some spit heading towards the desert. Mark saw it land on the icing and decided it was time to voice his concerns to other parents.
While Mark addressed the concerns, he noticed the majority of the parents agreed with him, and they knew a solution needed to happen. Thinking about any possible products on the market, Mark quickly realized that there hadn’t been one for this situation, leading him to take matters into his own hands. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he had a lot of extra time, which he used to brainstorm and design any possible contraptions. He began working on prototypes with a friend of his, the silent partner, and they soon created the first Blowzee. The founders were able to put $5,000 each of their own money into perfecting the product.
Overall, it took them 17 trials of prototypes, and about 40+ birthday cakes, before they were pleased with their final design. Though, those trial and errors were all worth it once they were written about by the New York Post and noticed by Jimmy Fallon himself. Jimmy talked about The Blowzee on his show, giving the product even more publicity. Now, the founders are hoping a shark will want to invest in helping their business expand and blow up further.
The Blowzee on Shark Tank
Mark Apelt took The Blowzee on Shark Tank in hopes that the sharks will love it and want to invest. He’s hoping for a deal of $100,000 for a 20% equity in the product. Each of the sharks receives a Blowzee, which they have the chance to try out. For the most part, the sharks think it’s a clever idea, and Daymond John expresses how he wishes they were invented when he was a kid. Mark starts pitching the product to the sharks, as he demonstrates how it works with an actual cake. He then goes on to explain how he got the idea for The Blowzee and what determined him to make it a reality.
Getting into the sales of the product, Mark tells the sharks that he has sold $12,000 units worth of Blowzee’s within just 5 months. The Blowzee’s cost him $3.20 to make, and they sell for $11.99 each, though the wholesale price is only $6. Mark and his partner also have already gotten a patent for the company. Knowing that these sales numbers aren’t great and that they haven’t impressed the sharks, the founder claims that he isn’t good at marketing the product.
Robert Herjavec speaks up to tell Mark how fun The Blowzee is, and he asks him about any other products in the works. Mark explains that The Blowzee is the only product at this time; however, the founders will be able to expand into more products when they get a licensing deal. Next, Kevin O’Leary chimes in. He isn’t willing to invest because, to be honest, the hates it. Unfortunately, Mark Cuban followed closely behind Kevin. He states that The Blowzee is not a company, it is only a product. A single product at that. He goes out as well.
Although Daymond John was having fun with the product, he says buying one is the farthest he’d go. He believes the product cannot be invested in, leading him to drop out. Similarly, Robert liked how amusing The Blowzee was as well; however, he thinks it’s more of a one-and-done purchase. Given that, he goes out, laving Lori Greiner as the final shark. Lori explains to Mark that she thinks the product is clever, but it is just for birthdays, so the sales won’t be consistent. For this reason, she goes out and Mark Apelt leaves the Shark Tank without a deal.
The Blowzee Now in 2024 – The After Shark Tank Update
Although The Blowzee wasn’t successful on Shark Tank, the company appears to still be in business. In fact, they did receive some good publicity just from showing up on the show. After just a little over an hour, the company received a spike in orders, to which point they actually sold out of the inventory. The Blowzee was featured on platforms and shows such as Elvis Duran and the Morning Show, The Daily Mail, Real Simple, and NPR’s Morning Edition.
Mark was able to chat with a few local bakeries and get them to start selling The Blowzee’s in their shops, as well as having them sold on Amazon. On Amazon, this product was successfully rated #1 in the best birthday candle products. Though it hasn’t been said, it’s likely that this rating has spiked their sales once more. That being said, it’s been estimated that their net worth as of 2024 is most likely at about $500,000.