Will a Morrisville entrepreneur and his edible spoons find success on ABC’s ‘Shark Tank’?
Will the sharks take a bite?
Dinesh Tadepalli, a Morrisville-based entrepreneur, is on a mission to get people to use less plastic.
His startup, Incredible Eats, makes edible spoons that can be eaten rather than thrown into the trash. The company is built on the idea that if you offer consumers a tasty alternative to plastic, they will take it.
The idea will get a huge test this week, though, as Tadepalli is set to pitch his startup to the investors of ABC’s popular show “Shark Tank” on this Friday’s episode.
“Shark Tank” attracts millions of viewers to its shows and re-runs every week, making it a huge moment for Tadepalli’s young company.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Tadepalli said of the reach of the show. “It is a big deal, especially in the U.S.”
Tadepalli, who recently moved from California to the Triangle, got the inspiration for Incredible Eats while eating ice cream with his children. Like always, they threw away their plastic spoons after finishing their dessert.
“It suddenly hit me, why did I not think twice about using a plastic spoon?” he told The News & Observer earlier this year. “It disturbed me a little bit, like, I’m an educated person, I’m aware of the plastic pollution, but why did I not think twice before using the plastic spoon or a cup?”
He then began making prototypes of what an edible spoon could look like before settling on a formula he believed was not too hard and provided enough taste to make it interesting. The resulting cookie-like material is made up of vegan-friendly grains, has a yearlong shelf life and “stays firm for up to 25 minutes in a hot soup,” Tadepalli, 35, said.
Incredible Eats now offers a vanilla- or chocolate-flavored spoon as well as oregano chilli and black pepper ones.
The company has plans to expand its flavor offerings and offer sporks and chopsticks in the near future.
Already, Incredible Eats has raised around $200,000 from investors — but Tadepalli said more capital would allow him to expand his team and pay for more inventory going forward.
Other Triangle startups that have appeared on Shark Tank
Incredible Eats is the latest in a string of Triangle-based startups to appear on “Shark Tank.”
In 2018, Raleigh’s Jonathan Hayes and his startup RewardStock appeared on the show.
RewardStock was an app that helped users optimize frequent-flyer miles and hotel and credit card reward points, and Hayes convinced Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban to invest $320,000 in the company.
RewardStock ended up being successful, and Hayes sold the company last year to financial information giant Experian, The N&O previously reported.
Wild Earth, a pet food company that recently opened a headquarters in Durham, has also appeared on “Shark Tank.”
Wild Earth makes plant-based dog food, which it says can offer similar nutritional value as traditional dog food but with less of an impact on the environment.
Once again, Cuban also ended up investing in Wild Earth.
The startup continues to grow fast. It recently raised $23 million from investors and claims it had 700% growth in revenue over the past year.
This story was produced with financial support from a coalition of partners led by Innovate Raleigh as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The N&O maintains full editorial control of the work. Learn more; go to bit.ly/newsinnovate
This story was originally published October 19, 2021 at 10:57 AM.
