Wild Earth Shark Tank Update | Wild Earth after the Shark Tank Pitch
What is Wild Earth?
Wild Earth is a brand of high-protein dog food and treats created with koji, an eco-friendly and renewable fungus superfood.
Animal ingredients, antibiotics, growth hormones, artificial preservatives, artificial flavours, artificial colours, additives, fillers, and mystery components are all avoided in Wild Earth’s Good Protein Dog Snacks.
Omega fatty acids, digestion-enhancing enzymes, and prebiotics are included in the veterinarian-developed recipe to promote healthy gut microbiomes.
Wild Earth was founded in August 2017 by a small group of scientists and biotech entrepreneurs led by Ryan Bethencourt, Dr. Ron Shigeta, Abril Estrada, and Kristin Wuhrman.
Their mission was to disrupt the pet food business with clean, sustainable protein.
The initiative was motivated by a UCLA research on the environmental impact of cat and dog meat consumption in the United States, which resulted in the production of the equivalent of 64 million tons of carbon dioxide per year.
That accounts for between 25% and 30% of the environmental effect of meat consumption in the United States alone.
By March 2018, Wild Earth would launch its first product manufactured using human-grade Koji — a fungus that has been used in Japan for centuries to ferment soybeans to make soy sauce.
The firm will collaborate with Peta to guarantee that its Koji-based food was dog-friendly.
This included testing on volunteer animals in cage-free clinical studies to determine palatability and digestibility, among other characteristics.
In October 2018, the vegan meat biotech start up launched its first consumer product – Wild Earth’s Good Protein Dog Snacks – the world’s first dog treat comprised entirely of lab-grown Koji protein.
Who is the founder of Wild Earth?
Ryan Bethencourt.
What happen to Wild Earth at the Shark Tank Pitch?
Ryan Bethencourt of Berkeley, California, the founder of Wild Earth, presented his sustainable vegan pet food on Shark Tank season 10 episode 16 in March 2019 requesting a $550,000 investment in return for a 5% stake in his business. This demonstrates an $11 million.
He does not have any figures to provide to the Sharks since he has not yet begun selling merchandise — this is a real start-up.
A pack of snacks costs $3.50 to create and costs $12.99 to sell. The Sharks like Ryan, but not at his $11 million price tag. Ryan owes it to the considerable research and development.
Ryan describes how the koji-based protein is made. The Sharks object to the lack of sales and the fact that Ryan owns only 20% of the firm as a result of all the venture capital money he has received.
Kevin leaves due to a lack of sales, and Lori swiftly follows suit. Matt believes the valuation is “excessive,” and hence ventures out as well.
Daymond works in the pet food industry, and he goes out cautioning Ryan not to “repeat that valuation in public.”
Mark is the final Shark standing, but he is unconcerned about the worth.
He requests information from Ryan about how he intends to expand the firm. Ryan notes that he intends to sell the goodies alongside a premium kibble priced at $40 per bag.
Mark is won over by Ryan’s explanation, and he offers him $550,000 for a 10% stake.
Ryan attempts to haggle, but Mark remains strong at 10%. Ryan finally accepts, stating that if necessary, he will pay it out of his own equity.
Wild Earth after the Shark Tank Pitch
Wild Earth has extended their product range since appearing on Shark Tank to include three distinct dog supplements: Hip & Joint; Digestion & Immunity; and Skin & Coat.
Each jar contains 60 Peanut Butter Flavour Chews and is priced at $30.
The kibble is still unavailable as of June 2019. Amazon sells the snacks. For the time being, they have abandoned the cat food concept in favour of dog food.
The arrangement with Mark came to an end, but not with Mark Cuban‘s businesses.
Rather than that, in May 2019, Mark’s venture capital business, Radical investments, partnered with venture capital companies VegInvest, Felicis Ventures, Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund, Mars Petcare, Bits x Bites, VECTR, and P.O.V. to invest $11 million in Wild Earth.
This takes the total venture debt of the business to $16 million!
The kibble is now available on Amazon as of June 2021. The company generates $21 million in annual revenue. In November 2021, the firm announced additional $23 million in funding.
Wild Earth Net Worth
Wild Earth requesting a $550,000 investment in return for a 5% stake in his business. $550,000 in exchange for a 5% stake in his firm.
This demonstrates an $11 million valuation but at the Shark Tank he accepted an offer from Mark of %550,000 for 10% thus a $5.5 million valuation.
Wild Earth Competitors
Top Competitors of Wild Earth are categorized as follows;
Evanger’s Dog & Cat Food, SuperMeat, vegconomist. PEDIGREE Foundation, Nature’s Variety, Ollie, Fromm Family Foods and Bil-Jac.
Wild Earth FAQS
What Wild Earth is?
Wild Earth is a brand of foods and snacks for pets that provides a healthy and sustainable alternative to meat-based options.
The first product to hit the market, Wild Earth’s Good Protein Dog Snacks, is vegan and made entirely of lab-grown koji protein.
What are the ingredients in Wild Earth?
Dried Yeast, Chickpeas, Oats, Peas, Pea Protein, Potato Protein, Canola Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols), Sweet Potato, Flaxseed Meal, Sunflower Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols), Dicalcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Natural Flavour and Marine Microalgae.
Is Wild Earth dog food legit?
They are FDA approved and pass the AAFCO guidelines.
How are Wild Earth’s products made?
A blend of yeast and soybean protein is used to grow the koji fungus. The blended ingredients are fermented to create the meat-like texture of Koji, which is then mixed with other ingredients.
How much does Wild Earth cost?
A pack of snacks costs $3.50 to create and costs $12.99 to sell.
Is Wild Earth dog-friendly?
Wild Earth’s natural clean protein content is 31%, exceeding AAFCO requirements. This provides the best digestive assistance for their dog.
Additionally, it contains all ten necessary amino acids. Wild Earth prioritizes their dog’s wellbeing.
What happened to Wild Earth dog food on Shark Tank?
The kibble is still unavailable as of June 2019. Amazon sells the snacks. For the time being, they have abandoned the cat food concept in favour of dog food.
What happened to Wild Earth after Shark Tank?
Wild Earth exited the Shark Tank with a valuation of $5.5 million, but has since raised a total of $16.2 million in funding at an undisclosed valuation from a variety of investors, including VegInvest, Stray Dog Capital, Felicis Ventures, Blue Horizon, Babel Ventures, EverHope Capital, Macro Ventures, and Aera.
Does Wild Earth dog food contain taurine?
It contains additional taurine, DHC, and carnitine.
Is Wild Earth dog food made in the USA?
All of the items, materials, and formulations are obtained and manufactured in the United States.
Can puppies eat Wild Earth?
Wild Earth is ideal for pups and older dogs alike, since it contains calcium carbonate, which helps to build bones, teeth, and joints.
Additionally, there are marine microalgae, a form of omega-3 fatty acid that assists in the proper functioning of their dog’s brain and neurological system.
Is Wild Earth Complete protein dog food AAFCO approved?
Yes, Wild Earth Complete Protein dog food satisfies the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for Maintenance dietary requirements.
Is Wild Earth grain-free dog food?
No, the only dog food recipe offered by Wild Earth incorporates oats as a key component. However, it is free of maize, wheat, and soy components.
Is Mark Cuban the owner of Wild Earth?
Wild Earth, a California-based business, just raised $23 million from an all-star team lead by Shark Tank’s Mark Cuban, vegan actor Paul Wesley, and a few investment companies.
Where is Wild Earth dog food based?
Wild Earth was created in Berkeley, California and Durham, North Carolina by IndioBio co-founder Ryan Bethencourt.
Is Wild Earth vegetarian dog food?
Wild Earth Healthy High-Protein Formula Dry Dog Food Developed by a Veterinarian for All Adult Dog Breeds.
How is Wild Earth funded?
Wild Earth has received funding from 29 investors, including Bitburger Ventures and OneVentures.
Is Wild Earth safe?
Meat is frequently used as the protein component in factory-produced pet food.
However, as humans, they can appreciate that factory-farmed beef is untrustworthy.
As a result, Wild Earth formulates all of its products using components derived from naturally cultivated plants. They are FDA approved and meet AAFCO standards.
Do vets recommend Wild Earth?
However, unlike many other plant-based dog food brands, Wild Earth dog food offers a high protein value of over 30%, which is critical for a dog’s diet; most doctors recommend a protein content of at least 25%.
What is net worth of Ryan Bethencourt?
Ryan Bethencourt has a net worth of over $2 million.
