Shark Tank Season 17, Episode 1
Shark Tank Season 17, Episode 1 Recap: Pete’s Socks, Spring Shoes, Electric Jet Skis and Beer for Tired Dads
- Pete Davidson walks into the Tank with a sock company and actually lands a deal.
- Z-CoiL trades half the company for a quarter million dollars and Lori’s Rolodex.
- Pelagion brings in a $25k electric HydroBlade with zero sales and leaves empty-handed after arguing with Mr. Wonderful.
- Dad Strength Brewing convinces three Sharks to back low-ABV IPA for people who still have daycare drop-off in the morning.
Season 17 opens with a weird mix of celebrity socks, orthopedic science projects, a sci-fi jet ski, and beer for parents who can’t afford a hangover anymore. Mark Cuban is gone, but the Sharks didn’t exactly mellow out in his honor.
The premiere aired September 24, 2025, with a five-pack on the panel: Kevin O’Leary, Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec, plus guest investors Kendra Scott and Rashaun Williams. No Damon, no Barbara, no Cuban. Just three regular Sharks and two guests ready to poke holes in everything from valuations to beer foam.
By the end of the hour, socks and beer walked away with money, pain-relief shoes gave up half their cap table, and a very expensive water toy discovered what “no deal” feels like at 25 miles per hour.
Doublesoul: Pete Davidson’s Sock Flex
First into the Tank: Doublesoul, an everyday sock brand fronted by founder Ben Rosenbaum and “creative director” Pete Davidson. Yes, that Pete Davidson.
The pitch: socks that don’t sag, don’t cut off your circulation, and don’t look like they were bought in a 20-pack bin next to the checkout line. Organic cotton, recycled nylon, bright designs, and margins that made the Sharks sit up straight.
| 🦈 THE DEAL SHEET: DOUBLESOUL | |
|---|---|
| Ask | $500,000 for 4% Equity |
| Valuation | $12.5 Million |
| 2022 → 2024 Revenue | $360k → $2.3 Million |
| Deal | $500,000 for 10% (Kendra Scott) |
The Numbers
Doublesoul wasn’t shy about the math. They make socks for about $1.20 a pair and sell them for around $11. That’s roughly 89% product margin before they even get to the marketing line.
Sales jumped from $360,000 in 2022 to $1.7 million in 2023, and then to $2.3 million in 2024, with most of it coming direct-to-consumer and through a growing list of retailers like Amazon and Urban Outfitters. The current year projection? $7.5 million. Kevin’s eyebrows entered low orbit.
The Catch
The Sharks loved the product but hated the valuation. Davidson casually mentioned he bought 10% of the brand a year earlier at a valuation roughly ten times lower. Mr. Wonderful called it out immediately. Rashaun and Kevin floated offers tied to royalties and a smaller equity bite.
Kendra Scott wasn’t here for royalties. She wanted a clean equity deal and offered $500k for 10%, plus access to her retail footprint and design machine.
The Verdict
After a phone call with co-founder Allison, Ben turned down the royalty-heavy offers and took Kendra’s deal at 10%. She got her sock brand, Pete got to crack jokes on national TV, and Kevin got one more reason to complain about “fashion multiples.”
Z-CoiL: The Shoe That Looks Wrong but Feels Right
Next: Z-CoiL, a pain-relief shoe with an exposed metal spring jammed under the heel. Founder Andres Gallegos and his daughter Lindley came in representing a 30-year-old family business that’s sold more than a million pairs to people whose joints hate them.
The shoes look like someone grafted a car suspension onto a nurse clog, but that’s kind of the point. They’re built for plantar fasciitis, bad knees, fused ankles, and anyone who spends all day on concrete.
| 🦈 THE DEAL SHEET: Z-COIL | |
|---|---|
| Ask | $250,000 for 10% Equity |
| Business Age | Founded in the mid-1990s |
| Product | Shock-absorbing medical-style footwear |
| Deal | $250,000 for 50% (Lori Greiner) |
The Numbers
Z-CoiL isn’t a new startup. It’s an established brand getting a second wind. They’ve sold over one million pairs since launch, with price points around the $250–$350 range and a loyal base of nurses, warehouse workers, and older customers who care more about pain relief than style.
Most of their sales now come direct-to-consumer, but they want to push harder into national awareness and medical channels, and that takes cash plus someone who knows how to sell “ugly but life-changing” products on TV.
The Catch
The Sharks saw two issues:
- The shoes look like a prop from a sci-fi parody.
- The company has history, inventory, and complexity, which makes a small minority stake less attractive.
Several Sharks bowed out. Lori stayed interested—but only if she could take a real swing.
The Verdict
Lori offered $250,000 for 50% of the company. That’s a massive chunk to give away, but it came with her full attention plus the chance to position Z-CoiL as the go-to pain-relief shoe on TV and online.
After a tense pause and some back-and-forth, Andres agreed. Half the company gone, but a Shark on board and a clear path to scale.
Pelagion: The $25,000 HydroBlade That Went Nowhere
Then came the wild card: Pelagion and its electric HydroBlade—a stand-up hydrofoil board that looks like a Jet Ski and a lightsaber had a kid.
Founder Jamie Schlinkmann and partner Mike Terry rolled in a beautiful, whisper-quiet watercraft with dual electric motors, advanced battery monitoring, and a collapsible mast so you don’t need a yacht just to store it.
| 🦈 THE DEAL SHEET: PELAGION HYROBLADE | |
|---|---|
| Ask | $800,000 for 4% Equity |
| Implied Valuation | $20 Million |
| Price Per Unit | About $25,000 |
| Sales at Air Date | 0 Units |
| Result | NO DEAL |
The Numbers
The HydroBlade is undeniably cool. Fully electric, no local emissions, high top speed, with a display that tracks battery, distance, and ride time. The problem? The price tag and the scoreboard.
At roughly $25,000 per board and zero sales at the time of filming, the Sharks were staring at an R&D project, not a business. The ask—$800k for 4%—didn’t soften the blow.
The Crash
Once Kevin started pressing on valuation, manufacturing, and unit economics, things got spicy. Jamie pushed back hard. There was an argument about priorities, execution, and whether this was a luxury toy looking for a market or a real company with a plan.
Shark reactions ranged from “too early” to “too expensive” to “come back when the rich people are actually buying these.” The tech impressed them; the business did not.
The Verdict
The tension with Mr. Wonderful didn’t help. One by one, investors dropped out. Pelagion left the Tank with no offers, a viral clip, and free publicity—but no Shark capital.
Dad Strength Brewing: Beer for People Who Still Have a 7 a.m. Meeting
Closing the premiere: Dad Strength Brewing, a low-ABV craft beer brand from Washington, D.C. Founders Ryan Kutscher and Craig Carey are longtime friends, new dads, and former “let’s crush double IPAs and regret it tomorrow” guys.
They were mixing regular IPA with non-alcoholic beer at home to get something around 2.9% ABV. When they realized the market didn’t have that option, they built it themselves.
| 🦈 THE DEAL SHEET: DAD STRENGTH BREWING | |
|---|---|
| Ask | $250,000 for 5% Equity |
| Flagship Stats | 2.9% ABV, 94 Calories |
| Early Revenue | $230,000 in ~10.5 Months (One Market) |
| Deal | $300,000 for 12% (Lori + Robert + Rashaun, 4% each) |
The Numbers
Dad Strength launched in 2023 and quickly got picked up by Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Giant, and Safeway in the D.C. area. In under a year, they did about $230,000 in sales, entirely in one region, with a 100% re-order rate from chains.
They project around $500,000 in revenue for 2025 and already have three SKUs: a West Coast IPA, a Juicy IPA, and a Hazy IPA, all under 3% ABV and under 100 calories.
The Hook
Every Shark took a sip and basically said the same thing: “This tastes like real beer.” That’s the whole pitch. You get the hop flavor and the social ritual without tanking your next morning.
Kevin tried the “I want a third of your company” play with a $250k for 33% offer. The founders weren’t interested in turning their cap table into a bonfire. Rashaun jumped in with $250k for 10% and invited another Shark to partner.
The Verdict
Rashaun and Robert teamed up first, then Lori joined to turn it into a three-Shark deal. After some haggling, they landed on $300,000 for 12%, split evenly across the trio.
The dads walked out with exactly what they needed: money, distribution muscle, and a built-in national marketing engine. Also, a great excuse to drink at work.
Final Thoughts: A Sock-Heavy Start Without Cuban
The first episode without Mark Cuban felt different but not softer. The panel leaned hard on valuations, margins, and proof that customers actually want the thing being pitched.
- Doublesoul proved that if your numbers are real and your margins are stupidly good, you can drag a celebrity into the Tank and still be taken seriously.
- Z-CoiL showed that an old brand can trade equity for a second life if it’s willing to give up real control.
- Pelagion demonstrated that no amount of tech can cover for zero sales and a combative pitch.
- Dad Strength made the cleanest case of the night: strong sell-through, clear gap in the market, and a product everyone on set genuinely liked.
If this is how Season 17 starts—celebrity socks, medical moon boots, electric water weapons, and dad beer—the rest of the season is going to be fun to watch.
Official Product Links & Sources
Want to dig deeper into the products from Shark Tank Season 17, Episode 1? Here are the official company websites for each pitch featured in the episode:
- Doublesoul (Pete Davidson’s Sock Brand):
https://doublesoul.co - Z-CoiL Pain Relief Footwear:
https://zcoil.com - Pelagion HydroBlade (Electric Hydrofoil):
https://pelagion.com - Dad Strength Brewing (Low-ABV Craft Beer):
https://dadstrength.com
All product information, pitch details, and outcomes are sourced from the Season 17 premiere episode aired on ABC and publicly available company materials.
Sebastyen
Sebastyen Wolf is our Editor-in-Chief. He is an analyst and entrepreneur with experience working alongside early-stage founders, launching online ventures, and studying the data patterns that shape successful companies. A fan of Shark Tank since Season 1, he now focuses on translating the show’s most valuable insights into clear, practical takeaways for readers.
