SynDaver Labs is a company in Tampa, Florida that makes synthetic humans for medical training. The founder Dr. Christopher Sakezles pitched his business on Shark Tank in 2015 and accepted a $3 million investment from Robert Herjavec. However, just days after the episode aired, Sakezles reports that one of the show’s publicists informed him that the deal wasn’t going to happen. Sakezles told Tampa Bay Times, “It was kind of surprising.”
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That said, Sakezles also said he wasn’t overly concerned about losing the multi-million dollar investment. He has plans to bring SynDaver Labs public in 2018. And he says “I have the greatest respect for Mr. Herjavec. He’s still my favorite shark.” At the end of the Shark Tank episode featuring SynDaver Labs, Herjavec said of Sakezles, “He is a classic example of a brilliant guy that needs a CEO early on.” Sakezles told the Times that stepping down after spending 20 years building the business is “not going to happen.” In 2016, SynDaver Labs revealed the world’s first synthetic dog. The company has launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise $24 million to manufacture more and send them to veterinarian schools. Shark Tank returns for Season 9 on Sunday, October 1 on ABC.
