Forus Athletics was a company that sold lightweight running shoes. The company touted using an insole shock-absorbing technology (PolstarMax 6) that absorbs “the pressure of your body weight during a walk or intense workout and eliminates back, calf and spine pain.” It also claimed that the shoes were so lightweight that it felt like you were wearing socks not shoes. The two founders, Joel Vinocur and Arsene Millogo, pitched the shoe company on Shark Tank in April 2015. They went into the Tank seeking an investment of $200,000 in exchange for 15 percent equity.
Robert Herjavec was interested in investing in Forus but only if fellow Shark and clothing and shoe retail guru Daymond John came in with him because — as Herjavec said — “inventory control is absolutely critical” and that’s John’s expertise. John did not invest, however, so neither did Herjavec. The entrepreneurs left the Tank without a deal. After Shark Tank, complaints alleging customer service issues, delivery issues, and refund issues were filed with the Better Business Bureau. The company is no longer in business.
According to LinkedIn, after the closing of Forus in October 2015, Vinocur became a sales manager for Oracle and is currently a manager in corporate sales at Grubhub. He is also studying entrepreneurship at Harvard Business School. New episodes of Shark Tank air Sundays at 10 pm on ABC, right after American Idol. [27 Favorite Shark Tank Products at Amazon — New List]
