In April 2017, Brian Riley and Kyle Jansen of Irvine, California pitched their business, Guardian Bikes, on Shark Tank and asked for a $500,000 investment in exchange for 10 percent equity. Guardian Bikes claim to be “the world’s safest children’s bikes” as each bike is equipped with Riley’s SureStop braking technology. One lever on a Guardian Bike controls both brakes (back and front) so a child will also stop safely (and not fly over the handlebars). SureStop makes sure that pressure to the front and back hand breaks is evenly applied. There are a number sizes and models available; prices range from $330 to $420.
Tech guru Mark Cuban liked what he saw and heard and offered $500,000 for 15 percent with three contingencies: that the technology is really unique, that Guardian Bikes hits their sales projections, and that they hire an in-house PR person. The night the episode aired, Cuban showed his support of Guardian Bikes via Twitter (see below), and Guardian announced they were working on “a disc break version of the product.” And yes, they equipped adult bikes with SureStop too! Shark Tank airs Fridays at 9pm on ABC.
Don’t buy a bike without @guardianbikes SureStop. Your health and your kids health depends on it https://t.co/vCFbz8OgGd
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) April 15, 2017
