Shark Tank's RoloDoc Debacle: The Pitch That Stunned Mark Cuban In The Worst Way

Season 5 of "Shark Tank" started with a bang, but not in the way that entrepreneurs Richard and Albert Amini were expecting. The Arizona brothers appeared on the season's first episode seeking a $50,000 investment for 20% of their company, RoloDoc. The mobile health app offers patients and doctors a direct and secure method of communication. The app would allow users to pick their physician based on their specialty, insurance provider, and state. However, this is where its merits end. 

The sharks start grilling them on their business model. Mark Cuban doesn't think they'll be able to convince doctors to switch to the platform. When he asks how they plan to do so, the duo continuously states that the social media aspect will be enough to attract users, which does little to address Cuban's concerns. The other Sharks see the company as a security liability, unclear as to how they'll be able to certify a doctor's listed skill set on the app. 

None of the answers manage to calm the sharks down. One by one, they all go out, claiming that the presentation confused them about how they'd attract users, verify information, or make money. In one of the harshest moves in "Shark Tank" history, Cuban walks up to the duo, shakes their hands, and states, "Worst presentation ever. I'm out." Ouch. The Amini brothers came into the tank with good intentions, but ultimately, it's hard to disagree with the sharks' opinions on their business.

Every entrepreneur who walks into "Shark Tank" usually expects some kind of beating from the panel of wealthy investors. But the team behind RoloDoc likely couldn't have foreseen the treatment they'd receive on the show, especially at the hands of Mark Cuban. As vitriolic as the segment got, the sharks made it crystal clear the Amini brothers had no idea what they were getting into when starting their company. 

Businesses in their testing phases generally don't fare too well on "Shark Tank," but entrepreneurs can overcome the lack of revenue with knowledge of their subject matter, which the RoloDoc team didn't seem to have much of. While they had a decent concept, there was no mapped-out strategy to bring in doctors or compete in the already-cluttered social media space. Their service failed to offer a better alternative to other forms of communication, and it's likely that the company would have benefited had they launched prior to "Shark Tank" and gauged public response to their app. 

Unsurprisingly, RoloDoc didn't last long after "Shark Tank." Shortly after their time on the show, the company's website and social media links went defunct. Their Twitter account still exists but hasn't been updated since 2013. The brothers have continued their work within the medical field, with Albert working as a pancreatic surgeon at Arizona Premier Surgery and Richard holding various positions at the University of Arizona.