Seriously Slime on ‘Shark Tank’: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Seriously Slime founders Sarah McDermott and Shannon Valko took their company to ABC’s entrepreneurial show Shark Tank to see if they could get one of the sharks to invest in their slime company.

The founders pitched Seriously Slime to Sharks Mark Cuban, Kevin O’Leary, Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec and guest Shark Daniel Lubetzky.

The original idea for the company came after realizing that children love making slime, but the process often comes with a lot of clean-up and a huge mess. The company was the first of its kind to be pitched to the Sharks. Many entrepreneurs try out to get into the Tank, but the majority of them never hear back or are asked to try again at a later date. Luckily for Seriously Slime, they were able to get onto Shark Tank early on in their company’s life.

“Slime making is so incredibly popular and no one has ever presented anything like us before on Shark Tank,” McDermott and Valko told Heavy in an email. “We couldn’t think of a better way to build our brand than by getting exposure on Shark Tank and working with one of the sharks!”

Here’s what you should know about Seriously Slime from Shark Tank:

1. The Founders are Both Mothers

Before choosing to launch Seriously Slime, McDermott and Valko already had a lot in common. They were both mothers to three young children, and they both had 9-year-old daughters named Sydney.

“Both of our daughters and all of their friends are obsessed with making slime but the mess they were leaving all over our homes was very frustrating,” they said.

They said that, though people seemed to think Seriously Slime was a good idea at first, no one was particularly jealous of the way they worked at the beginning of the process. Their families and friends were some of their best customers when they started out, though.

“I don’t think anyone necessarily envied us when we were schlepping slime supplies all over the city to throw slime parties… but they thought it was a good idea,” they said.

2. They Had Two Retail Stores Within One Year of Opening

Many Shark Tank companies still in their early stages don’t necessarily have a ton to show for all the hard work they’ve put in by the time they got to the tank. In Seriously Slime’s case, though, they had opened two retail locations before they went onto the show.

The whole process started and evolved very quickly for McDermott and Valko. The mothers saw their business grow from throwing slime parties to actually being able to open those locations relatively quickly.

“In less than a year we went from throwing slime parties in other people’s garages to growing our business into not one but TWO Seriously Slime retail stores!,” they said.
“Throw in an appearance on Shark Tank and the development of our online DIY slime shop… things have been moving fast!”

3. Seriously Slime Offers DIY Kits and Slime of the Month Subscriptions

Because of the current coronavirus pandemic, Seriously Slime has had to find new ways to work since they’ve closed both of their retail stores due to government regulations and safety concerns.

“That we miss having you all visit us at Seriously Slime during this difficult time. And while we would love to have you as guests in our store, we have figured out a way to bring Seriously Slime to all of you,” they said. “We now offer customizable DIY slime making kits and a Slime of the Month Club on our website!”

The DIY kits include everything needed to make Slime at home and range from $22 for the pre-made decorative crystal Slime kit to $40 for a larger DIY Slime Kit. The Slime Club can be joined for a $25 sign-up fee plus $29.99 on the first of each month, and the first kit includes aprons, bowls and stickers. It also includes a monthly video and exclusive access to a club YouTube page along with exclusive recipes.

4. Their Goal Was to Give Parents a Break From Cleaning

Because making slime is such a messy process that takes a bit of time to accomplish, Valko and McDermott wanted to give parents a break from cleaning up after their kids had their fun with the slime.

“Our goal since Day 1 was to allow children space to enjoy this fun and tactile activity and to give parents a break from the cleaning,” they said. “A win for the kids and a win for the parents!”

The process of making slime is something fun children can do mostly by themselves, but parents may be wary of the entire process because the clean-up is just so much.

“To all of the parents out there who are inundated with their children’s constant requests to experiment with this messy craze, consider the Seriously Slime mantra and just LET THEM MAKE SLIME!” the website reads.

5. They Have Been in Business for Less Than Two Years

If they’ve been surprised by anything during the first few years of their business venture, it has been the fact that the business has grown so quickly.

“We’re surprised by how much our business has grown and changed since we began just over a year ago,” they said. “Without a shop of our own, we began by hosting DIY slime making events and birthday parties in either rented out spaces or our customers’ homes.”

Now, less than two years later, they have two retail locations and have appeared on Shark Tank. 

Tune in to Shark Tank on ABC at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT to see if the entrepreneurs score a deal with one of the Sharks.

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