All The Details To Know About The Brand Like Air From Shark Tank

Snack companies show up so frequently on ABC's investment reality series "Shark Tank" that Like Air's appearance on Season 15, Episode 11 isn't even the first time a popcorn or popcorn-adjacent snack brand has competed for an investment on the air. Previously, the owners of a company called Pipcorn negotiated a deal with Barbara Corcoran on Season 6, Episode 9. Then, after " Shark Tank," Pipcorn grew and even started introducing products beyond just its flagship popcorn snack.

Given just how much a deal with one of the Sharks helped Pipcorn expand, the owners of Like Air are surely hoping for a similar outcome when they enter the "Shark Tank" studio. What separates Like Air from its competition is a commitment to healthfulness above all else. Of course, while it's possible that the Sharks find this to be an asset, they could just as easily determine the product to be too niche. With that in mind, here's everything viewers need to know about Like Air as of its "Shark Tank" appearance.

While the origins of a precursor company called Lulu Snacks Inc. date back a couple of years prior, founders Kevin Atieh, Steven Atieh, and Allison Lin started Like Air in 2020. Its mission is to provide customers with snacks that are healthier than average and still tasty enough to enjoy eating.

Like Air's flagship puffcorn snacks resemble popcorn and are even made of corn, but the company touts the fact that puffcorn is free of the hard bits that sometimes find their way into popped corn kernels. It also purportedly will not get stuck between consumers' teeth like traditional popcorn.

It's worth noting that Like Air isn't the only company that produces puffcorn snacks. In fact, Frito-Lay manufactures a Cheetos alternative called Chester's Puffcorn, which is likely the largest puffcorn snack on the market. That said, Like Air is focused more explicitly on health than puffcorn products by Frito-Lay and other brands. It's in this regard that it attempts to separate itself from the competition.

The primary key to the formula behind Like Air snacks is simplicity. As of its "Shark Tank" appearance, the company offers just four flavors: pancake, butter & salt, American cheddar, and cinnamon bun. The puffcorn base of all of these products, notably, is comprised of just corn meal and sunflower oil. While the ingredients flavoring each of these offerings are more numerous than the two that make up their bases, they're limited and health-forward all the same. Like Air also advertises the fact that their puffcorn products satisfy a wide range of dietary needs, including gluten-free, nut allergies, and kosher diets.

One way Like Air is attempting to expand the utility of its limited line of four flavors is by sharing recipes on the official Like Air website that make use of its products. Most of these are submitted by customers and even incorporate ingredients that are not explicitly health-oriented, like M&M's and marshmallows. So, in addition to their adherence to potentially restrictive diets, Like Air is explicit about the fact that its puffcorn snacks can be enjoyed in comparatively less healthful contexts too.

Like Air's "Shark Tank" episode is building on some significant forward momentum from around the start of 2023 when the company won the Albertsons' grocery store chain's inaugural Innovation Launchpad competition.

Albertsons announced this competition in January 2023, inviting small food, beverage, and pet product brands to apply. Then, on March 8, a panel of judges at the Natural Products Expo West near Los Angeles chose three winners from 47 finalists selected from more than 900 applications. Criteria were no more complicated than whatever new brands were making strides with customers based on some sort of innovation within leading consumer trends.

Like Air secured first place in the 2023 Albertsons Innovation Launchpad competition, beating runners-up Evive and Dream Pops. The first-place prize was valued at $170,000 and consisted of cash, as well as business opportunities. It's at least partially on the strength of this big win, then, that Like Air secured its time in front of the "Shark Tank" panel.

There's no formula for when a business should appear on "Shark Tank," meaning that sometimes companies are hoping to develop a presence in a given market while others are simply looking to expand on existing success. Based on the fact it's already established widespread distribution at a range of grocery chains, Like Air is more a case of the latter than the former.

Like Air secured its biggest distribution deal to date in February 2022, when it landed on the shelves of approximately 1,000 Kroger stores. Kroger is the name of the parent company that owns stores like Baker's, Fred Meyer, Ralphs, and Smith's, among others. That news came on the heels of a deal with Sam's Club in December 2021, placing it on the shelves of about 600 stores.

Customers can also buy Like Air snacks in person at ShopRite, Fairway, Kings, and Balducci's. They're also available online through Amazon and the online outlets of stores like Sam's Club. Availability, then, is one area in which Like Air is already plenty successful entering into the "Shark Tank" studio for the first time.

One key advantage the owners of Like Air can boast going into "Shark Tank" is widespread customer satisfaction based on an abundance of positive reviews for its products online. On the Sam's Club website, for example, more than 600 people have reviewed the Like Air puffcorn pancake flavor, netting it 4.7 out of a possible 5 stars based on 543 perfect ratings.

Meanwhile, users on third-party platforms sharing their thoughts on Like Air items likewise have largely kind things to say. For instance, a post by author Lexi Minutillo to the Spoon University website shared a mixed reception to the American cheese flavor and overwhelmingly positive thoughts about both the butter & salt and pancake flavors. "I highly recommend getting yourself a bag ASAP," she wrote about the latter.

In a Reddit thread, a couple of users also shared that they were surprised at how much they enjoyed Like Air's pancake-flavored puffcorn. "It's actually really good! It tastes exactly like pancakes. Not something I would expect to be good, but I loved it. Give it a shot," u/Atieh52 commented.

From success in a major competition to national distribution and plenty of positive feedback, Like Air has a lot going for it already. That said, making a deal on "Shark Tank" isn't always easy and depends on a multitude of factors, so the company's success on the air is still very much not a guarantee.

The trio behind Like Air – Allison Lin, Kevin Atieh, and Steven Atieh — enter the tank with a huge task in front of them. While most companies have to fight to convince the sharks that they have the ability to succeed, the Like Air team has to convince the panel that despite their remarkable success, they still need an investment. In this case, they are looking for $300,000 in exchange for a 3.5% equity stake.  

While Like Air is still a growing company that has yet to hit profitability, its eye-popping sales figures are unusual for the types of homegrown startups that vy for the sharks' money. In 2022 they did $5.2 million in sales and are projected to hit $10 million in 2023. The panel is impressed, but as Mark Cuban suggests, they are skeptical that the trio entered the tank looking for anything more than free advertisement. 

However, the Like Air crew insists that they need a shark to help open some particularly sticky doors. For instance: while they are on the shelves of Kroger stores, they have yet to be featured in any kind of promotional display, which is key to the sales of snack foods. 

Still, Barbara Corcoran, Robert Herjavec, and Kevin O'Leary bow out, citing the lack of enticing reward for their investment — or, as O'Leary puts it, "I don't get out of bed for three and a half percent." But Lori Greiner opts to "take a flyer" on the company. After some negotiation, Greiner's final offer stands at $300,000 for 10%. The Like Air team says they'll do that — if another shark comes on board. Despite his earlier skepticism, Cuban quickly jumps in on the deal, and Like Air leaves the tank with two sharks on their side.