Whatever Happened To Cremation Alternative Parting Stone After Shark Tank?

While many successful "Shark Tank" products focus on how to make life easier, there's one particular standout that focuses instead on making loss easier. Parting Stone, which was featured in "Shark Tank" Season 14, Episode 19, is a unique alternative to the typical cremation process, allowing customers to have their deceased loved ones' ashes solidified into a large collection of smooth stones. First started in 2016, Parting Stone owner Justin Crowe brought his business to the Sharks in the hopes of taking the operation to the next level — and he found success.

Crowe ended up being one of the various "Shark Tank" guests who managed to strike a deal with not just one investor, but two. Of course, even after the deal was forged on the show, the story of Parting Stone didn't end there. In the time following its 2023 "Shark Tank" appearance, there have been several notable updates on Parting Stone and its operations that are worth going over.

Justin Crowe and his Parting Stone business entered "Shark Tank" with a pretty straightforward offer, though the deal he eventually struck with Sharks was decidedly more complicated. During the company's Season 14 appearance, Crowe explains Paring Stone and its background, before asserting that he is seeking $400,000 in exchange for a 5% cut of the business.

Crowe's explanation almost immediately sparks interest in the Sharks, though not all of that enthusiasm was positive for the entrepreneur. In an unexpected twist, Mark Cuban notes that he is an investor in a competing company called Eterneva, which specializes in turning ashes into diamonds. Cuban declares his intent to take Crowe's idea of turning ashes into regular stones and incorporate it into Eterneva's offerings, making for quite the tense "Shark Tank" moment.

Despite that awkward exchange, Crowe has better luck with the other hosts. Lori Greiner and Kevin O'Leary choose to put their usual Shark rivalry on hold and make a combined counteroffer to Crowe of $400,000 for a 20% stake in Parting Stone. After some further rounds of negotiating, the trio inks a deal of $400,000 for 10% ownership, as well as a royalty policy of $12.50.

Regardless of whether they manage to strike a deal or not, many of the businesses that appear on "Shark Tank" can rely on at least one massive benefit from simply appearing on the show: the "Shark Tank" effect. Indeed, in the case of Parting Stone, it seems that the company saw a massive popularity boost after it was featured on the series.

In an interview with the New Mexico Inno, Crowe revealed that traffic to the Parting Stone website increased by roughly 900% in the week following the airing of the "Shark Tank" episode. Both sales and social media traffic ballooned as well, with newfound investors Lori Greiner and Kevin O'Leary spreading the word about Parting Stone on various platforms. "We're like blowing up on Tik-Tok right now," Crowe said.

Beyond the effect on Parting Stone's online footprint, Crowe was appreciative of the opportunity to educate millions of "Shark Tank" viewers on the existence of cremation alternatives. "This was a big experiment," the founder said. "We educated more than 10 million people on a single night that when you choose cremation you don't have to receive ashes, there's another comfortable form of remains."

As of October 2023, Parting Stone is still quite active as a company. The website is still active, and customers can make an order directly from the site. The company is also partnered with a number of other businesses and funeral homes, which offer the Parting Stone process as an option for their own customer base.

While there isn't much in the way of new Parting Stone products — the business covers a fairly strict and straightforward niche — the company did partner with urn manufacturer Aril to promote the latter's first solidified remains container. Indeed, Aril offers a specialized urn known as the Stay Container that's designed to specifically hold and feature solidified remains, making it the first companion piece to Parting Stone.

On a related tangent, it seems like Mark Cuban may have changed his stance behind the scenes on taking Justin Crowe's idea to Eterneva. The company still solely offers the service of turning ashes into diamonds, with no option to do a similar process for regular stones. It seems that, at least for the time being, Parting Stone won't have to go directly head-to-head with Eterneva.

With strong investments and a nice popularity bump thanks to its "Shark Tank" appearance, the future looks bright for Parting Stone. Per Justin Crowe's explanation on "Shark Tank," the company plans to upgrade its operations by investing in automated manufacturing of Parting Stone orders. Doing so will allow the business to fulfill orders more quickly and efficiently.

Even prior to appearing on "Shark Tank," Crowe had plans to expand Parting Stone by partnering with InvoCare to open up yet another lab in Australia, according to Connecting Directors. Plans for the expansion are still in motion, with construction of the lab planned for sometime in late 2023 to early 2024. Having an Australian branch should help to further Parting Stone's international reach.

As for Crowe himself, the entrepreneur found his appearance on "Shark Tank" to be something of a revelation, and it might lead to him making similar ventures in the future. "I enjoyed that experience," he told New Mexico Inno. "I want to do more of it."