Jesse Genet pitched her DIY photo printing kit Lumi on Shark Tank in 2015. Lumi uses natural sunlight to print photographs on textiles including t-shirts. Each kit comes with Lumi’s Inkodye which on a sunny day can develop a photo on a t-shirt in about 10 minutes. On Shark Tank, Genet valued the company at $5 million with only $1 million in annual sales. The Sharks didn’t bite but the Silicon Valley startup incubator Y Combinator welcomed her with open arms. One month after the Shark Tank episode aired, Genet reported $2.5 million in sales.
The Lumi Photo Printing Kit is available in two color options: Brights (magenta, organe, blue and red) and Darks (navy, copper, blue, sepia). Each kit comes with packs of Inkodye and Inkofilm, a Inkowash packet, board, and video. The Kits are sold for $34.95 on the Lumi website, in stores including Urban Outfitters, Michael’s and JoAnn Fabrics, and on Amazon.
