A Central Pennsylvania tech-toy maker struck a deal with the world’s biggest Youtuber and toy entrepreneur MrBeast in a recent appearance on ABC’s “Shark Tank.”
Chambersburg native Andrew Brown is one of the inventors of a toy called Ball 2, which the company’s marketing describes as a “sensor-packed smart ball that teaches physics and creativity through play.” In a demonstration on the season premiere of “Shark Tank” on Sept. 30, Brown and co-founder Kevin Langdon showed how to use the ball’s artificial intelligence and app to create original games. By speaking basic instructions and using data from the ball’s sensors, they created a game they dramatically dubbed “10 Feet of Death.”
Guest shark Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson, a king of internet virality who is known for challenges and a growing line of products, said he was impressed.
“As someone who grew up very creative, I can see myself as a 13-14-year-old, talking to the A.I. I see this being very fun, to be honest. This is very cool,” he said during the pitch.
Brown and the Ball2 team came on the show looking for $200,000 in exchange for a 10% stake in their company. Barbara Corcoran and Kevin O’Leary were among the sharks to count themselves out over concerns about profitability and marketability, but guest shark Jeff Housenbold, president and CEO of Beast Industries, said he and Donaldson have the platform to promote a product like Ball 2. They offered $300,000 for 66% of the business, and Brown and Langdon ultimately came to an agreement for $250,000 for 51% of the business.
MrBeast was top choice for Ball 2 team
Brown said they didn’t know Donaldson would be a guest judge on the episode until a few days before filming, but it was enough time to prepare for the possibilities of a deal, which they expected would include taking a majority of the company.
“Having MrBeast on our episode was amazing. If you picked a person from 8 billion on Earth to partner with a product like ours, he’d literally be number 1,” Brown said.
“It definitely added to the pressure, but we knew he changed the math on possible outcomes with a product like ours,” he added.
Working with Beast Industries has been a great experience so far, Brown said, and the Ball 2 team is excited to see where it goes from here. While they’ve seen a bump in sales from their “Shark Tank” appearance, the increased exposure means greater attention to detail and customer service.
“Our number 1 goal is still to make the best consumer product we can and deliver on an amazing experience,” Brown said. ” ‘Shark Tank’ and MrBeast helped show it off and start to build that trust, but the real results is when the Ball 2 is in family’s hands, having fun.”
The Ball 2 can be purchased online now for $69 (including A.I./credits to make 50 games) or $49 (must purchase credits to make games) at shop.ball2.ai.
