Here's What Happened To Intelli-Stopper After Shark Tank
Who doesn't love to enjoy a nice glass of wine at the end of the day? Surely, our beloved Sharks do. Fans may remember the dashing father-son duo who passed out free bottles of vino to investors Barbara Corcoran, Mark Cuban, Kevin O'Leary, Lori Greiner, and Robert Herjavec. Forever known as the entrepreneurs who got five billionaires a bit tipsy, Chase and Bob Hoyt appeared in season five of Shark Tank in 2014. Hailing from Tuscon, Arizona, they pitched their "Intelli-Stopper" technology as part of the wine preservation system, "Wine Doctor."
The Intelli-Stopper is a high-tech cork replacement that is part of the Wine Doctor system, which is meant to "redefine and revolutionize food preservation." In addition to the dangers of drinking expired wine, once opened, the quality decreases in as little as one to five days due to air exposure. The Intelli-Stopper's defining feature is its red indicator, which clearly signals whether a bottle of wine is being preserved properly or needs more air pushed out.
As part of their pitch, the Hoyts shared how their technology came to be in 2008. After realizing a bottle of wine they had just opened the night before had already gone bad, the two set to work on figuring out how consumers could better preserve their vino. By 2011 they had perfected the Intelli-Stopper technology, acquired a patent, and launched Wine Doctor.
Wine Doctor on Shark Tank
The Hoyts arrived at the Tank passionate about Wine Doctor's potential. They emphasized the Intelli-Stopper's ability to keep vino fresh for up to two weeks, thanks to their "O-ring" technology and vacuum seal. While the Hoyts acknowledged the possibility of air leaks, they explained how the Intelli-Stopper's red indicator allows the consumer to catch the leakage before it ruins a bottle. They requested a deal from the Sharks of $250,000 in exchange for 10% equity. In 2013, Wine Doctor saw $150,000 in sales and forecasted their 2014 sales to exceed $350,000, according to the Shark Tank Blog.
The Sharks were at first dazzled by the Wine Doctor — free bottles of wine after a long day of cutting deals — what's not to love? But once they got into the nitty-gritty of the Hoyts' business, they were a bit less impressed. Corcoran noted that the wine preservation product seemed like "more of the same" to her, and was out. Cuban and Herjavec backed out due to limited experience in the wine industry. QVC Maven Greiner noted that wine products sold horribly on the shopping channel, and wouldn't invest.
Meanwhile, O'Leary is a well-known vino lover and the proud owner of "O'Leary Fine Wines." But upon hearing Wine Doctor's high company valuation — $2.5 million — he immediately gave the Hoyts some pushback. "There's so much we could be doing together if you weren't such greedy pigs," Mr. Wonderful said. Unsurprisingly, the last Shark ultimately bowed out of the deal.
Wine Doctor after Shark Tank
In their pitch, the Hoyts shared that they had just snagged a distribution deal with Bed Bath & Beyond. The entrepreneurs were also excited about the potential for "Coffee Doctor" and "Olive Doctor," similar systems for food preservation. With the Wine Doctor kit available nationwide, the father-son duo appeared to be on the rise despite missing out on a deal. But as seen with other beverage-based companies such as ProntoBev, success isn't always guaranteed after the Tank.
While Wine Doctor's appearance on-air boosted immediate sales, the wine preservation kit is off the market as of 2023. In a feature from the Tuscon local news, Chase shared that even though they wanted to partner with a Shark, they still gained an investor afterward. Additionally, they were looking forward to going on Shark Tank a second time, which never happened.
Wine Doctor's Instagram page has not been updated since 2014, and its website is no longer running. According to Chase's LinkedIn, the business shut down in 2016. However, he launched "Hoyt & Co," a broader wine and kitchen accessories company. The Intelli-Stopper was included as a Hoyt & Co product, and gained mediocre reviews, hovering between 3 to 4 stars on Amazon. The Intelli-Stopper was available for purchase up until 2018 when Chase shut down Hoyt & Co, and closed the door on the wine business for good.
What's next for Chase Hoyt
After Shark Tank, Chase went on to pursue several entrepreneurial and art ventures. While he and his father went into the wine business together, Chase broke off to co-found his own respective startups. A former actor, Hoyt appeared in "The Better Sister" and "Poor Boy" in 2016, per IMDB. Maintaining his entrepreneurial spirit, he then co-founded the social media app "Sandbox" in 2017. The city-based app for friend-making ceased operations in 2020.
According to his website, Hoyt is now a successful luxury real estate agent in Palm Springs. In June, he posted on Instagram about his Shark Tank experience. "I look back at this photo, almost ten years ago, and think about how tough things were," Hoyt's caption reads.
"My father and I had started the company 3 years before and had no money left to manufacture more product to fill orders." he continued. "A couple months later our wish came true and we received investment at the exact valuation that sent us home that day."