Passing around a microphone during Q&A sessions can be quite cumbersome and disruptive. This problem led Shane Cox to design the QBall, a throwable wireless microphone. This playful solution proved successful on IndieGoGo, and Shane is seeking a shark to help navigate large-scale production. Do the sharks want in on the Season 9 business? Let’s find out in our Qball update and pitch recap.
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick overview of what happened to QBall after
.
Shane Cox entered
Season 9, seeking $200,000 for a 15% stake in his company. After a compelling pitch, he secured an investment from three sharks for $300,000 in exchange for a 30% equity.
In terms of a QBall update, the company has grown to well over $1 million in annual revenue. They’ve expanded their product offerings to include a variety of accessories and, notably, partnered with Alexa for voice integration.
Shark | Result |
Lori Greiner, Rohan Oza and Mark Cuban | Accepted offer of $300,000 for a 30% equity |
Barbara Corcoran | No offer |
Robert Herjavec | No offer |
Shark Tank QBall Pitch

- Entrepreneur: Shane Cox
- Business: A wireless microphone integrated into a ball to be thrown around the room
- Ask: $200,000 for 15% equity
- Result: $200,000 for 30% equity
- Sharks: Rohan Oza, Lori Grenier, and Mark Cuban
Shane Cox entered
Meetings Will Never Be the Same
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QBall is a wireless microphone embedded within a soft foam ball. This innovative design allows for easy tossing and catching during meetings, Q&A sessions, and even classroom environments.
The QBall’s unique combination of functionality and playfulness fosters a more engaging and interactive experience for participants in various settings.
He revealed that in October 2015, alongside two other colleagues, they successfully secured funding for the QBall through an IndieGoGo campaign, raising $46,895.
However, unforeseen production challenges delayed shipments to backers, and some did not receive their products until mid-2017.
However, they’ve since resolved those issues, and the QBall is currently available for purchase and ready for immediate shipment.
The system is priced at $179 and includes a rechargeable battery offering up to ten hours of use. It boasts a wireless range of approximately 75 feet from the receiver.
The QBall incorporates a unique “quiet toss” feature that automatically mutes the microphone when it detects movement. This eliminates unwanted static noise during transitions between participants.
Despite encountering initial challenges with fulfilling their crowdfunding campaign, the QBall has garnered mostly positive user reviews.
After narrating his product background, Shane engaged the sharks by tossing the QBall to Mark Cuban, who used it to address the panel by speaking into it.
Shane disclosed that QBall’s manufacturing cost is $52 per unit, with a retail price of $179. He had done $177,000 in sales thus far, with schools accounting for 90% of that total.
He also revealed that a patent application is pending for the technology that detects the QBall’s motion. Shane projects reaching $850,000 in sales by year-end 2017, attributing this growth to positive word-of-mouth within schools.
He seeks the experience of one or more sharks to navigate the complexities of overseas manufacturing and address ongoing inventory shortages caused by high demand.
Robert Herjavec expressed reservations about the lengthy sales cycles typical of schools and government entities, so he opted out of the deal.
Lori Grenier sees this product as a replacement for Polycom, as she has had trouble hearing others on conference calls. If those talking could use this ball, she wouldn’t have to ask them to move closer to Polycom anymore.
The remaining sharks believed corporations presented a more favorable sales channel. After some discussion, Lori Greiner, Mark Cuban, and guest shark Rohan Oza huddled up an offer of $300,000 in exchange for 30% equity.
Barbara Corcoran expressed interest and wanted to make an offer, but after getting the offer from three sharks, Shane was not interested in a deal with her.
Shane then countered the initial offer with a 25% equity offer, but Mark refused. Ultimately, Shane accepted the sharks’ initial offer.
With three sharks behind him, let’s see how the company fared after the show in our QBall update.
Shark Tank QBall Update
The deal with Lori Greiner, Rohan Oza, and Mark Cuban materialized successfully. Shortly after the episode aired, the company incorporated Alexa compatibility into the QBall.
As a result, two years after airing on
Our QBall update found that the product line has expanded to include various accessories, such as ball covers and sanitizers, and different bundle options to suit customer needs.
Additionally, the Qball website offers grant resources specifically to assist educators and schools in acquiring QBalls.
At the time of this Qball update, reviews for the product remain largely positive, indicating overall satisfaction with the product.
It is also clear that Shane appeared to have taken the sharks’ advice regarding business marketing, as evidenced by a dedicated section on their website targeting corporate clients.
The future is looking very bright for our next QBall update.
You can find the other company updates from Season 9 Episode 2 here:
- Trippie Airport App Update
- Jackson’s Honest Update
- The Seventy2 Update
Before you go, be sure to check out our Shark Tank Season 9 page for more updates.
Andrew Smith
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Andrew Smith is the founder and owner of Shark Tank Recap. He is a longtime Shark Tank fan that has been watching it for years and has seen every episode multiple times. His friends know him as the Shark Tank expert, because he can answer any question about the show! His favorite Shark Tank products are Bertello's pizza oven and Bug Bite Thing!