The 13-Year-Old Entrepreneur On Shark Tank That Had Fans Wildly Impressed

Of the hundreds and hundreds of pitches that have appeared on "Shark Tank" during the show's first 15 seasons, one variety that stands out is pitches from children. Many kiddos have gone into the tank to pitch their business ideas, and some have even come away with deals–see Kiowa Kavovit and Boo Boo Goo or the Inventioneers and the SMARTwheel for two examples.

Young Maddox Prichard followed in their footsteps when he went into the tank along with mom Amanda, dad Jason, and sister Brenna to pitch The Measuring Shovel. Maddox's devised the shovel after noticing that landscapers often plant their plants too close together, or don't dig deeply enough while planting trees. The Measuring Shovel is covered with measurement markings that make spacing and depth much easier to calculate. It's a simple-yet-ingenious idea, and it's a surprise nobody thought of it before.

Maddox pitched The Measuring Shovel during "Shark Tank" Season 11, with his episode airing in November 2019. Maddox asked for $40,000 in exchange for a 15% equity stake in his company. Robert Herjavec and Mark Cuban both dropped out of the bidding due to their lack of familiarity with the landscaping business. Kevin O'Leary and Lori Greiner teamed up to offer $40,000 for 30% of the company, while KIND bars founder Daniel Lubetzky offered the same amount for 25%. Maddox went with O'Leary and Greiner, on the logic that he'd have two sharks' connections.

It's impressive for anyone to get a deal with a shark, but here's what fans had to say about the segment.

Fans across the country are impressed with the young man–especially on YouTube. Most, like YouTubers DanOldMan and Maymona Sh, were impressed with how well-spoken and self-confident Maddox was during his pitch, with Maymona Sh pointing out that Maddox hardly even needed to look to his parents for reassurance while he was pitching. Others, like CK Norris, Marvin Prudencio, and Sabahat Khan, found Maddox's invention to be ingenious. Like the sharks, they couldn't believe that nobody else had invented it already. 

Some fans, like Melissa McClain, pointed out that The Measuring Shovel isn't currently available for sale (it was in the prototype phase when Maddox went on "Shark Tank"). That matches what it says on The Measuring Shovel's website. They also noted that Maddox's father, Jason, passed away from cancer shortly after the segment aired. Many expressed their condolences.

The Measuring Shovel might not be a "Shark Tank" success story, but it's clear that its inventor is going places.