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Jan 25, 2024

Whatever Happened To SBU After Shark Tank?

On an October 2012 episode of "Shark Tank" that also features future success

On an October 2012 episode of "Shark Tank" that also features future success Scrub Daddy, entrepreneurs Daniel Wood and David Martschinske pitch the Sharks a device they call the SBU, short for self-balancing unicycle. As its name indicates, the product transports a rider on a single wheel, but with electric components that both hold its rider upright and allow it to move faster than most individuals could by simply pedaling as is required of non-electric unicycles.

After a dramatic back-and-forth about the SBU's ability to turn a profit during their "Shark Tank" appearance, Wood and Martschinske accept a joint $300,000 offer from Sharks Kevin O'Leary and Robert Herjavec for one-third equity in their business. However, in an interview with a newspaper located near the duo's Camas, Washington hometown called The Columbian, Martschinske revealed that they never actually went through with this deal. "It was not a good deal for us, but the publicity was great," he said.

Even though they didn't ultimately secure an investment from the Sharks, Martschinske explained that not just after the episode's premiere but after every time it aired as a rerun they would notice an uptick in SBU sales from people who saw the product on TV. In the end, though, that "Shark Tank" bump couldn't sustain the company long-term.

Currently, the official website Daniel Wood and David Martschinske created for SBU company Focus Designs remains online, but it describes the SBU itself as discontinued and lists no additional product offerings. Furthermore, a link to purchase the device on Amazon returns an error.

That said, Wood remains in the self-balancing unicycle industry to this day. According to his LinkedIn profile, he helped develop a number of competing devices including the iconic Hovertrax self-balancing hoverboard as well as another unicycle-esque product called the Solowheel. Wood is also now Director of Control Systems at Future Motion, which produces a sort of one-wheeled skateboard-like vehicle called the Onewheel.

Martschinske, meanwhile, no longer appears to work in the unicycle business. According to his LinkedIn profile, he currently holds a product development position at a company that makes military-grade electronic equipment called Freedom Atlantic. So, while the SBU itself is no longer actively available, both of the men who pitched it on "Shark Tank" remain in product development, with Wood in particular continuing to engineer products similar to the SBU.