What Happened To Chill Systems After Shark Tank?
Brian Bloch was tardy for the party on "Shark Tank" Season 12. That said, it's a good job as his partner, Chase Mitchell, only brought three drinks with him — don't you just hate that? The thirsty "Shark Tank" investors didn't love it, despite Mitchell's enthusiasm. "Hey, sharks!" he kicked off with a massive grin. Mr. Wonderful didn't manage to raise even the pretense of a smile. "This is the chiller. It's a portable beverage chiller with freezing gel built in!" Let the comedy sketch begin.
A harried Bloch ran in, lugging a massive bag of ice and a traditional polystyrene drinks cooler. "Sorry, I'm late. I had to buy ice," he announced (via YouTube). As Mitchell pointed out, the Chill System doesn't need ice. Still, it doesn't exactly have many drinks to chill, either. However, Bloch did manage to raise a laugh from Kevin O'Leary when he threw the massive bag of ice on the floor and then busted out with his best comedic skills to show how "difficult" it is to fill a regular cooler.
Per Shark Tank Blog, Mitchell and Bloch were seeking $150,000 from the sharks for 15% equity in their company. Sharks are notoriously loathsome of the cold, preferring to hunt for their prey in the warmer waters around the world. But what about Chill Systems? Did they become one of the most successful products from "Shark Tank?" Or did they die a hideous death like the fairground-esque fake it till you make it skinny mirror?
What happened to Chill Systems on 'Shark Tank?'
The obvious flaw of the Chill System was, well, obvious. After musing about how heavy traditional cooler boxes are, Chase Mitchell extolled the virtues of their product, which allows you to enjoy "hours of ice-cold drinks anywhere and save time, money, and the environment." As it only provides for three drinks, there's no doubt you'd save money. Kevin O'Leary was the first to address the elephant in the room. "It only holds three cans?" he asked (per YouTube). "I don't know about you, but I'll get through this in about 45 minutes." It was downhill from there. "We've heard that feedback before from macho men on the internet," Mitchell shot back. Oh, dear.
"What are the sales?" Robert Herjavec asked, cutting straight to the chase. "We've done $111,000 to date," Brian Bloch replied. "That's over the last two years." There were raised eyebrows all around. Block explained that they'd raised $51,000 on Kickstarter. "What does it cost?" Mark Cuban asked. "Our product cost is awful," Bloch admitted. Crickets.
"Shark Tank" doesn't pay people to go on the show, but the investors do hope to get some bang for their buck. Bloch admitted it cost $37 to make the product. The heavy bag of ice and polystyrene cooler looked better by the minute. Bloch announced they'd since managed to bring the cost down to $18. However, they were selling the product to retailers at a loss. Herjavec was visibly stunned. The investors were all out.
Chill Systems after 'Shark Tank'
According to Shark Tanks Talks, both contestants came from stellar backgrounds. Brian Bloch worked in finance for Apple, meanwhile, Chase Mitchell was a top sales associate at Google. They'd quit their careers and still weren't earning a cent. "Do you want me to make a call to get your jobs back?" Kevin O'Leary quipped (per YouTube). Mitchell and Bloch turned down the offer — undoubtedly the best they'd received all day.
Bloch and Mitchell's business empire dreams evaporated into a puddle quicker than a bag of frozen 7-11 ice on a sweltering hot day. According to Techie Gamers, the entrepreneurs held on until 2022, selling the product through their website. However, the Chill Systems web domain is now up for sale — a bargain at just $25,000. Their last Instagram post was in July 2021. It shows Mitchell holding a Chill Systems bag with three cans on the beach. "Waiting for football season to start like . . ." he captioned the pic.
"A wise man once told me that anything worth doing is worth doing right. I embody this concept by bringing serious passion and 100% effort to all of my undertakings," Mitchell's LinkedIn reads. He lists Chill Systems as one of his endeavors, with a finishing date of January 2022. Mitchell's now a full-time remote partner success senior associate at Coinbase. Bloch has returned to Apple, where he works as a manager for content operations intelligence and finance.