Naushad Ali of Woodinville, Washington invented the Drain Strain. The sink drain stopper is unique in that it has a built-in basket under the stopper that catches hair, contact lenses, jewelry, and whatever else you don’t want to go down the drain. The baskets are meant to be replaced and they are recyclable. The Drain Strain is promoted as an easy-to-use, preventive alternative to calling plumbers and using chemicals to unclog drains.
Ali, who got his MBA from Berkeley btw, pitched his product on Shark Tank and got a deal with Robert Herjavec ($110k for 10 percent). He’s now selling the Drain Strain to hotels and plans to have the product on the shelves of Home Depot and Lowe’s by 2016. Until then, you can buy them on the Drain Strain website. The traditional Chrome stopper goes for $15.
[Related: 27 Favorite ‘Shark Tank’ Products — New List]
