Jeff Popp (left) and Casey Lorenzen present their startup to “Shark Tank” investor judges. Photos courtesy of Co.Alition.
Two Tennyson Street backpack designers are trying to bag a shark this Friday. And you can watch it all on reality TV.
Casey Lorenzen and Jeff Popp, founders of the Co.Alition and MHM backpack brands, will appear on the ABC reality show âShark Tankâ at 8 p.m. Friday.
âShark Tank,â now in its seventh season, is a reality show where entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to five venture capitalists. The showâs cast includes Barbara Corcoran, Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec, Daymond John and Kevin OâLeary.
Lorenzen and Popp stumbled into the show by coincidence, Lorenzen said.
âWe were sharing space with one of my buddies who told us heâd heard about (an open casting call) that morning on the radio,â Lorenzen said. âWe were like, âLetâs go do that.â Four or five rounds of eliminations later, we got to the point where we got out there and filmed.â
The pair will pitch their Co.Alition brand to the showâs sharks in the hope that one bites at the offer and buys into the startup. Co.Alition packs, intended for on-the-go professionals, are equipped with an external hard drive and a power source to charge cell phones.
The duo could not disclose any financials of the arrangement because of an NDA with the showâs producers, Lorenzen said. But he said any capital raised from the show will go toward branding, operational costs and the production of new items to be released later this fall.
It took a year and a half to complete the application and filming process, Lorenzen said, which began with a casting call in Glendaleâs Infinity Park Event Center and ended on Sonyâs studios in Cupertino, California, last June.
The process usually doesnât take that long, but the showâs producers decided to bump Co.Alition a season, Lorenzen said.
âThe last few weeks before filming, (preparing for the show) became our full-time job,â Lorenzen said.
To prepare for the showâs air date, Lorenzen said that he and Popp have been tightening their website.
âThe post-show bump has been known to crash peopleâs websites, so we want to make sure the bandwidth is there,â he said.
Lorenzen and Popp have appeared on TV before with appearances on 9News featuring their MHM line of backpacks. But âShark Tankâ will put the duo in front of the largest audience theyâve ever seen, Lorenzen said.
But Popp and Lorenzen arenât strangers to raising capital. The duo has raised almost $100,000 through three Kickstarter campaigns since 2012, including a $20,000 raise that closed in December.
Venture capital investment was the next logical choice after the trio of successful Kickstarter campaigns, Lorenzen said.
âWeâve gotten to the point where itâs almost going to be a necessity,â he said. âYou can only raise so much capital on your own. To get the business to where we want it to be, we need an outside investor.â
The pair opened their first brand store on Tennyson Street and 43rd Avenue last year to coincide with the launch of the Co.Alition brand.
Lorenzen and Popp are hosting a public viewing party at Mile High Spirits at 2201 Lawrence St. starting at 6 p.m. on Friday. The episode airs at 8 p.m. and will feature three other companies: a college student pitching an SAT aid, two fitness enthusiasts with a new sports bra and an entrepreneur pitching an outdoor cooler.
Co.Alition is the second Colorado outdoor company to be featured on reality TV recently. Knights of the Air Longboards appeared on CNBCâs âThe Profitâ last month.
Jeff Popp (left) and Casey Lorenzen present their startup to “Shark Tank” investor judges. Photos courtesy of Co.Alition.
Two Tennyson Street backpack designers are trying to bag a shark this Friday. And you can watch it all on reality TV.
Casey Lorenzen and Jeff Popp, founders of the Co.Alition and MHM backpack brands, will appear on the ABC reality show âShark Tankâ at 8 p.m. Friday.
âShark Tank,â now in its seventh season, is a reality show where entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to five venture capitalists. The showâs cast includes Barbara Corcoran, Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec, Daymond John and Kevin OâLeary.
Lorenzen and Popp stumbled into the show by coincidence, Lorenzen said.
âWe were sharing space with one of my buddies who told us heâd heard about (an open casting call) that morning on the radio,â Lorenzen said. âWe were like, âLetâs go do that.â Four or five rounds of eliminations later, we got to the point where we got out there and filmed.â
The pair will pitch their Co.Alition brand to the showâs sharks in the hope that one bites at the offer and buys into the startup. Co.Alition packs, intended for on-the-go professionals, are equipped with an external hard drive and a power source to charge cell phones.
The duo could not disclose any financials of the arrangement because of an NDA with the showâs producers, Lorenzen said. But he said any capital raised from the show will go toward branding, operational costs and the production of new items to be released later this fall.
It took a year and a half to complete the application and filming process, Lorenzen said, which began with a casting call in Glendaleâs Infinity Park Event Center and ended on Sonyâs studios in Cupertino, California, last June.
The process usually doesnât take that long, but the showâs producers decided to bump Co.Alition a season, Lorenzen said.
âThe last few weeks before filming, (preparing for the show) became our full-time job,â Lorenzen said.
To prepare for the showâs air date, Lorenzen said that he and Popp have been tightening their website.
âThe post-show bump has been known to crash peopleâs websites, so we want to make sure the bandwidth is there,â he said.
Lorenzen and Popp have appeared on TV before with appearances on 9News featuring their MHM line of backpacks. But âShark Tankâ will put the duo in front of the largest audience theyâve ever seen, Lorenzen said.
But Popp and Lorenzen arenât strangers to raising capital. The duo has raised almost $100,000 through three Kickstarter campaigns since 2012, including a $20,000 raise that closed in December.
Venture capital investment was the next logical choice after the trio of successful Kickstarter campaigns, Lorenzen said.
âWeâve gotten to the point where itâs almost going to be a necessity,â he said. âYou can only raise so much capital on your own. To get the business to where we want it to be, we need an outside investor.â
The pair opened their first brand store on Tennyson Street and 43rd Avenue last year to coincide with the launch of the Co.Alition brand.
Lorenzen and Popp are hosting a public viewing party at Mile High Spirits at 2201 Lawrence St. starting at 6 p.m. on Friday. The episode airs at 8 p.m. and will feature three other companies: a college student pitching an SAT aid, two fitness enthusiasts with a new sports bra and an entrepreneur pitching an outdoor cooler.
Co.Alition is the second Colorado outdoor company to be featured on reality TV recently. Knights of the Air Longboards appeared on CNBCâs âThe Profitâ last month.
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