MontiKids is a line of educational toys for parents to use at home with their preschool children (birth to 3 years old). The toys are based on the famed Montessori method. The founder, internationally certified Montessori teacher Zahra Kassam, pitched her subscription service business on Season 10 of Shark Tank.
She went into the Tank seeking an investment of $200,000 in exchange for 2.5 percent equity. Yes, that’s a $8 million valuation!
[Related: 27 Favorite ‘Shark Tank’ Products at Amazon — New List]
Zahra received two offers: one from Robert Herjavec ($200k for ten percent and a position on the board of directors); the other from Kevin O’Leary: $200k for 2.5 percent and a $10 royalty until he gets his money back, followed by a $2.50 royalty until he earns back $600k. Zahra accepted the latter.
In January 2020, Zahra told Forbes magazine that she raised $6 million in venture capital funding since launching Monti Kids, with investors including LEGO Ventures and Kevin O’Leary from her appearance on Shark Tank.
New episodes of Shark Tank air Fridays at 8 pm on ABC, right before 20/20 at 9 pm. [BONUS: Stream any ABC show through the ABC GO Digital App found here. Download is FREE.]
