On the business show Sharks, billionaire investors look for opportunities to break into the world of startups. CYCLE founder Sunny and online sales manager Albert told us about their experiences on the show.
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Sunny Bhasin founded CYCLE, which uses its patented, innovative technology to produce household cleaning products from wastewater. It competed not only with environmentally harmful cleaning products containing petrochemicals, but also with eco-friendly cleaning products. CYCLE cleaning products are made from raw materials extracted from waste and clean effectively with the power of acetic acid. Sunny and Albert presented the world-unique product to Sharks on the March 6th episode.
Why did you decide to be on the show? What was your goal?
Sunny: We had two ideas. One was that by appearing on TV we could reach more people and tell them our message. What is the difference between traditional, or even eco- and recycled cleaning products, and why is all of this important. The other was to find an investor who would not only give us money, but also many other advantages: international connections, experience in the market.
Albert: We felt that this was a show where we could reach out to those interested in new things, including CYCLE, and spread our philosophy to more people. We also thought that it might be interesting for investors to participate in the development of the company with us.
"We want to bring people closer to circular thinking, household by household."
How did you prepare for the shoot?
Sunny: Honestly, I didn't prepare much for it. Albert knows that. I'm not the kind of person who practices a lot before a presentation. I read what Albert wrote and I was there. And then we just did everything together as it came. Right, Albert?
Albert: Yeah, it was pretty much like that. We had weeks to practice the pitch, but we finally learned it before the show, in the dressing room.
Sunny: Well, yeah, Albert was a little worried about that.
They both just laughed at this. Then Albert continued answering.
Albert: Of course, we watched previous broadcasts and talked about which sharks might be interesting for us, but we didn't overdo the practice.
What was it like to meet sharks in person?
Albert: It's extremely exciting to be in the same room with people who have already achieved serious success in business. The sharks had specific questions and suggestions, and they were obviously trying to find a way to fit our business plan. But they weren't as strict as they seem on the show. They joked with us, they understood the humor, and the whole shoot was in a good mood.
Sunny: It was better than I expected. What we do is not an ordinary activity and many people have a hard time understanding the story behind CYCLE. But I could see the interest in the sharks’ eyes, that they wanted to understand us, why we were there. They were very friendly and asked a lot of questions - they were interested in the topic. We spent almost 1.5 hours “in the aquarium”.
Were you disappointed that you didn't get an investment in the end?
Albert: I wouldn't say so. It was obviously in the cards and it wasn't a good feeling, but at the same time I think it was positive how they judged our company's activities. They sent us off at the end of the show with good intentions.
Sunny: Sure, it would have been nice. But when we went there, we knew we were asking them for something extraordinary: we would have invested $175 million ourselves, and we asked them to do the same. And each shark, for their own personal reasons, ultimately decided not to invest. But when I listened to them, I felt like they were right. I believed them, and there was a reason for everything.
What was the most memorable thing about the show for you?
Sunny: After the shoot, we were in the waiting room with Péter Balogh and Szabina. They both came up to us to congratulate us from the bottom of their hearts and wish us success in the future. That meant a lot to me. Even though we didn't get any investment, we managed to win hearts.
Albert: Basically, the whole shoot was memorable, but there was perhaps one moment that I still remember fondly. At the end of the show, we were on our way out of the studio when the host, Lilu, shouted after us that she also uses CYCLE.
What are your plans for the future?
Albert: Of course we will continue to work. The show has taught us a lot: we will try to incorporate what was said there positively into our future strategies and we trust that the concept behind CYCLE will continue to be exciting for the general public. We want to bring people closer to circular thinking, household by household.
Sunny: We'll keep going. We just keep doing what we are doing.
As we came to the end of the interview, it became clear that Sunny and Albert are optimistic about the future. They believe that the award-winning CYCLE products will become more and more popular in the future because they not only clean effectively, but are also gentle on you and our planet.
