Whatever Happened To Zorpads After Shark Tank?

Sierra Smith and Taylor Wiegele's mission to end foot odor seemed closer than ever after receiving a deal from "Shark Tank" investors Lori Greiner and Charles Barkley. But different various life occurrences made the entrepreneurs pivot the structure of their company. 

The team saw an influx of orders, which took some time to adjust to. They also received notable press, being included in such outlets as NASA, Men's Health, and Better Homes & Gardens. The product sells on Amazon and Walmart. In March 2020, they donated 10% of their profits to the No Kid Hungry Foundation. As for the sharks, Grenier dropped out in 2021, while Barkley remained with the company. 

Despite their success, neither work full-time for Zorpads. Wiegele is the head of product management for Coterie while Smith serves as senior vice president for Leavitt Equity Partners. Wiegele described Zorpads as a side hustle in a 2019 Harvard Business School interview, and that's a model that better suits their needs. "[Our story] is just a good reminder that there are many ways to build a business," he commented. "You typically think of people [starting their own venture] as doing it full-time, but we've just done it our own way that allows us to make money and pay off our student loans while still working on a company we believe in." Their net worth is estimated to be over $4 million. 

Smith and Wiegele aren't the only ones who believe in Zorpads. When they were on the show, it was the sharks who were begging to work with them. 

Zorpads was developed by Taylor Wiegele and Sierra Smith while attending Harvard Business School. The product is specially designed with NASA-tested materials and solves many of the issues with similar shoe odor-fighting items on the market. Thanks to their compact size and multiple odor-eating layers, Zorpads vacuums up foot stench in a more effective and less intrusive manner than competitors. 

The two come into "Shark Tank" in Season 10, seeking an investment of $150,000 for 8% equity. After sharing samples of the Zorpads in action against the smell of garlic, NBA legend Charles Barkley comments that he could have used the product during his basketball career. Wiegele explains that their technology performs eight times better than their competition, with Smith adding that it works for two months, which impresses the sharks even further. Since starting in 2017, they have made $103,000. They are primarily looking for an investment to help with developing their brand and expanding their retail options, which Mark Cuban drops out of after expressing his disapproval.

Cuban is alone in this dismay, however, as the other sharks quickly gravitate toward the company. Lori Grenier is the first to make an offer, saying she will present the product's effectiveness on Barkley's size 17 shoes on QVC. For that, she requests 30% of the $150,000. Kevin O'Leary and Robert Herjavec come in with their own competitive deals, believing Grenier is taking away valuable equity. Grenier is willing to only go down to 22.5%, which the entrepreneurs accept, realizing the value she brings.