Episode 55: Sharky Waters: The Story of ActionGlow with Founders Dakota and Garret Porter
Dakota and Garret Porter started ActionGlow over 10 years ago. The idea began when they were snowboarding on a dark ski slope and had the idea to tink around with their gear to include LED lights. It originally didn’t start as a business venture until other boarders were interested in the product.
The brothers built up inventory and sold out within 48 hours. Around this time is when Shark Tank producers reached out to have them apply to the show. ActionGlow at that point was too new, but they tried to get on the show on three separate occasions. Garret applied a fourth time without consulting Dakota, and the rest is history.
On the show, the two needed something to break the ice, so cracking a few jokes was the route they decided to take. The pitch took about 45 minutes but boiled down to 8 minutes on TV. Since the show, the brand has been sold out. The Porter brothers added that having a Shark on their side “opens doors.”
According to the brothers, it took about 2 years to actually come out with a product to withstand action sports. Action sport equipment tends to get roughened up; ActionGlow is 100% waterproof and can be submerged up to 10 meters. The LED lights were toughened up to not tear under pressure. Constant revisions of ActionGlow are always undergoing.
Now, the boys are planning a bus tour as a “grassroots way of selling.” As for the future of ActionGlow, they are lasered in on the action sport market for now.
Connect with Dakota and Garret here: