On the business show Among the Sharks, billionaire investors look for ways to break into the startup world. CYCLE founder Sunny and online sales manager Albert tell us about their experiences on the show.
Reading time 5 minutes
Sunny Bhasin founded CYCLE, a company that produces household cleaning products from wastewater using patented, innovative technology. It has not only competed against environmentally harmful detergents containing petrochemicals, but also against eco-detergents. CYCLE cleaners are made from raw materials extracted from waste and clean effectively with the power of acetic acid. The unique product was presented to the Sharks by Sunny and Albert in the March 6 broadcast.
Why did you decide to be on the show? What was your goal?
Sunny: There were two thoughts in front of us. One was that by being on TV, we can reach more people and get our message out to them. What's the difference between conventional or even eco and recycled cleaning products and why it's important. The second is to find an investor who will not only give us money, but also many other advantages: international contacts, experience in the market.
Albert: We felt that this was a show where we could reach out to people interested in new things, including CYCLE , and bring our philosophy to more people. We also thought it would be interesting for investors to get involved with us in the development of the company.
"We want to bring people closer to circular thinking, household by household."
How did you prepare for the shoot?
Sunny: To be honest, 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: Yes, that was pretty much it. We had several weeks to practice the pitch, but we finally learned it in the dressing room before the show.
Sunny: Yeah, Albert was a bit worried about that.
They both laughed at that. Then Albert continued to answer.
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 very exciting to be in a room with people who are now very successful in business. The sharks also had specific questions and suggestions, and were clearly trying to get a handle on our business plan. But they are not as strict as they appear on the show. They joked with us, they got the humour and the whole shoot was fun.
Sunny: It was better than I expected. What we do is not an ordinary activity and many people find it difficult to understand the story behind CYCLE . But I could see the interest in the sharks' eyes, that they wanted to understand why we were there. They were very friendly and asked lots of questions - they were interested in the topic. We were "in the aquarium" for almost 1.5 hours.
Were you depressed that you didn't get an investment in the end?
Albert: I wouldn't say that. Obviously it was part of the package and it's not a good feeling, but at the same time I think it was positive the way they judged our company's activities. We were sent off at the end of the show with good intentions.
Sunny: Sure, it would have been nice. But when we went there, we knew that we were asking them to do something out of the ordinary: we were going to invest 175 million ourselves, and we were asking them to do the same. And each shark, for their own personal reasons, decided not to invest. But when I listened to them, I felt that they were right. I believed them, and there was a reason for everything.
What was your most memorable number from the show?
Sunny: After the shoot we were in the waiting room with Péter Balogh and Sabina. They both came up to us to congratulate us and wish us good luck for the future. That meant a lot to me. If we didn't get any investment, we won 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, called out to us that she was using CYCLE anyway.
What are your plans for the future?
Albert: Of course we will continue to work. The show has taught us a lot of lessons: we will try to incorporate what was said there in a positive way into our future strategies and we hope that the public will be able to take the lessons from the show and use them in their own way. CYCLE We hope that the concept behind CYCLE will remain exciting for the public. We want to bring people closer to circular thinking, household by household.
Sunny: We're moving on. We just keep doing what we are doing.
As the interview drew to a close, it became clear that Sunny and Albert were optimistic about the future. They believe that their award-winning CYCLE products will become more and more well-known in the future because they not only clean effectively, but are also kind to you and the planet.
