Kanga: Here's What Happened After Shark Tank

Logan LaMance, Austin Maxwell, and Teddy Giard — a trio of Clemson University students — may have never guessed that a simple academic project of theirs would bloom into a  business. Their company, Kanga, and their innovative beverage cooler, the Kase Mate, were developed as part of a class project, which tasked the men with creating a solution to a problem. The group and their friends all had large, expensive ice coolers, but the chests were impractical to take along to university tailgate parties. Instead, they purchased beer from a convenience store en route, and the drinks gradually got warm as the night progressed. 

One day, LaMance noticed someone at a tailgate removing a cold drink from an ice chest and putting it into a can insulator to keep it cold. Inspiration struck: Why not insulate an entire case of drinks in a similar way? From there, the three partners developed the Kase Mate, a compact, handheld, insulated case poised to revolutionize the world of drinks by keeping beer or soda cold for up to seven hours without ice. One simply slips a cardboard case of beverages — cold from the refrigerator — into the insulated sleeve, zips it up, and takes it along like a briefcase.

To promote their product, LaMance, Maxwell, and Giard entered "Shark Tank" on Season 10, Episode 18, armed with their Kase Mates and a dream. The three men asked the Sharks for a $100,000 investment in exchange for a 10% equity stake. Present in the tank were panelists Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran, Kevin O'Leary, Lori Greiner, and Daymond John.

A well-coordinated pitch to the Sharks, including a backflip executed by Teddy Giard — who was costumed in a kangaroo outfit — set Kanga up for a great first impression. The Sharks were charmed by the three entrepreneurs, who presented each judge with a personalized Kase Mate, complete with cold beer. Austin Maxwell shared that Kanga had $103,000 in sales after only six months in business, 30% of which came from a two-month Kickstarter campaign, and the other 70% from wholesale deals with other companies. Maxwell also disclosed that beer giant Anheuser-Busch had approached Kanga for a test market purchase order. If all went well, the beermaker intended to order 10,000 more.

The men also shared that they had personally spent only $833 apiece in forming Kanga and launching their product — garnering laughs and applause from the Sharks. Maxwell added that he had been inspired by a 2014 "Shark Tank" episode featuring BeatBox Beverages. After the show aired, Maxwell called BeatBox's CEO and became a brand ambassador, then an intern, then began working with BeatBox full-time. "The craziest thing about it is now I'm up here and have the opportunity to present to you guys with my own company, and this has already been a dream come true for me," he said.

In possibly one of the shortest negotiation segments of all time, Mark Cuban made the trio a yes-or-no offer, granting their $100,000 ask, but in exchange for 20% of the company. The three youngsters promptly accepted the deal and celebrated in a toast with their new backer.

Following the 2019 airing of their "Shark Tank" episode, the Kanga entrepreneurs experienced a surge in sales that had them hurriedly using Logan LaMance's parents' garage as a shipping hub to fulfill their orders, even enlisting the help of neighbors. The "Shark Tank" frenzy died down, however, and the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted Kanga's corporate orders for personalized Kase Mates, such as the deal with Anheuser-Busch that had impressed the "Shark Tank" judges.

Undaunted, the three founders pivoted and brainstormed, turning to e-commerce channels and digital advertising to attract new customers. New products began joining the original Kase Mates, as well, expanding the usability of the company's lineup with cooling gadgets in other sizes and formats. The brand's efforts paid off, and winter 2020 brought a massive influx of holiday orders for Kanga. The demand was actually quite overwhelming for the company, and taught the founders a lesson in preparing their stock early.

Shopify was one of the e-commerce outlets Kanga joined post-"Shark Tank," and this led to a huge break for the brand. In 2023, Shopify hosted a social media contest, which Maxwell entered on behalf of Kanga and ended up winning. The prize? A featured spot in a video posted by the biggest influencer on YouTube, MrBeast. The video, which rolled out December 2, 2023, amassed over 300 billion views.

As of January 2025, Kanga is still in business and raking in the dough. The idea that was hatched to keep beer cold for college students has grown into a multimillion-dollar company, bringing in an estimated annual revenue of over $9 million and with a workforce of more than 40 employees. Kanga's product lineup has continued to grow, as well. The brand now offers backpack coolers; other small cooling containers called the BrewBox and the Pouch; and a can-shaped, extended-release ice pack called the Beer Block, which lengthens the amount of time a Kanga cooler stays cold.

Customer reviews reveal Kanga's products are a big hit during gift-giving season, with parents and grandparents writing about how much their younger family members love their Kanga merch. Comments from other satisfied buyers show Kanga's goods are by no means just for partying college students, lauding the products' usefulness for activities ranging from golfing to travel. Other positive feedback indicates that Kanga is doing things right in the area of customer service, as well. In fact, the brand allows customers to return products for a full refund if they're not satisfied — with shipping costs covered by the company — and Kanga repairs or replaces defective coolers for free.

Kanga's founders learned early on in their entrepreneurial journey that ongoing innovation and proactively rolling out new products are both important to keep business from stagnating. Retailers carrying the company's products always want to know what's next, and the Kanga team is ever at work to have answers at the ready.

In addition to the ever-popular Kase Mates and other cooling products, Kanga has new offerings in the works, including items targeting the spirits and wine industry and even kitchenware products. Austin Maxwell revealed in an interview with CXplained that a total of nine new products were in development at the time he spoke with the outlet in 2024. He adds that the company's focus on short-term problems and plans have evolved into planning years into the future, which will hopefully keep Kanga in a solid position.

So far, Kanga has stayed true to its origins, offering solutions for keeping drinks cool and providing merchandise related to that goal. Since the company's multimillion-dollar venture was born out of solving a problem, maybe upcoming avenues will tackle challenges like making cheap beer taste better. After all, the company has already solved the cooler mistake that ruins chilled drinks by eliminating the need for conventional coolers altogether.