gallery

This Dominican Inventor And A-Rod Hit It Off Immediately When He Made Him An Offer In Spanish On ‘Shark Tank’

By November 16, 2017 at 10:55 am

On this week’s episode of “Shark Tank,” Alex Rodriguez tried to use his Dominican heritage (and a little Español) to undercut all the other sharks on the show. Contestant Robbie Cabral, born in the Dominican Republic and inventor of Benjilock, a fingerprint scanning padlock for bicycles, was on the show trying to get the Sharks to invest in his design. The Benjilock was an Edison Award nominee at CES 2017 and the Sharks definitely saw the appeal of the product as several of them got into a bit of a bidding war.

Cabral had a lot to consider after coming from the bottom.

In an interview with Entrepreneur, Cabral talked about his experience on the show: “It’s an incredible feeling when you come from the bottom and then go up, you kind of appreciate the journey more.” Cabral came to Los Angeles from the Dominican Republic with dreams of being a rock star, but quickly realized that’s a lot easier said than done. And when his bandmates headed back to DR, he stayed and looked for his own opportunities. Those opportunities weren’t glamorous. Cabral says he had to wash dishes, clean gyms and clean vomit from hotel rooms just to make ends meet, even though had a college degree. The idea for the BenjiLock came to him while struggling the most. Cabral was out of work and had to find a way to financially support his newborn baby. After putting on 50 pounds, Cabral went back to the gym. He noticed people would often struggle to get into their lockers, which inspired him to create a lock that opens at the press of your fingertip.

Eventually, Cabral went with Kevin O’Leary, who offered $200,000 for 15% equity of the business.

And although A-Rod made a good offer of 200k and 20% equity, O’Leary’s move to cut 5% really made the difference. When you build something from the ground up, giving up any of it must feel like giving up your baby.

O’Leary took to his Twitter account to share his enthusiasm about the deal as well.

When O’Leary made the deal, he also went over to hug Cabral and it got a bit emotional.

Watch the emotional decision below and listen to what O’Leary tells him.

If you missed it: “You’re amazing. I’m going to make you rich. Watch it happen.” The prospect of getting rich would make me a little misty-eyed, too. Shoot, I’m misty right now just thinking about these bills.


[H/T] Entrepreneur

READ: 

A-Rod Admits That Sometimes He Gets Confused As J.Lo’s Bodyguard Right Before Getting Egged In The Face


Recommend this story to a friend by clicking on the share button below.

Notice any needed corrections? Please email us at corrections@wearemitu.com

Exclusive: Luis Fonsi Talks Working with Rauw Alejandro, Christina Aguilera, and Demi Lovato

Lifestyles Of The Rich And Dangerous: Cartels Are Using TikTok To Lure Young People