Where Is PowerPot From Shark Tank Today?

One of the worst aspects of heading into the great outdoors is the relative lack of great meals that can be found there. Of course, it is possible to whip up a delicious dish while trekking — these three amazing campfire recipes are certainly a testament to that.

Though being able to eat when you're off the grid is an undeniably important skill, you probably don't want to fill your backpack with gourmet ingredients and kitchen tools. However, a simple cooking pot, like the paper-constructed Hexa Pot, can be the only thing you need to elevate your campground cuisine to the next level.

Wouldn't it be nice if, while you were chowing down and fueling up for a long day of hikes the following morning, you could also be charging your phone? With the invention of PowerPot, the ancient art of campfire cooking was launched into the modern age of technology.

The PowerPot was featured on the 24th episode of "Shark Tank" Season 5 (via Shark Tank Products). Invented by Caleb Light and David Toledo, the PowerPot is a camping stove that generates electricity as it boils water, which can then be channeled into charging your electronic devices.

In a video of the PowerPot's appearance on "Shark Tank," which is hosted on the CNBC Prime YouTube channel, we watch as Light and Toledo carefully negotiate an investment for their company. Their initial offer of $250,000 for a 10% share of the company is rejected by the sharks, but Mark Cuban offers to invest the full quarter million in exchange for a 20% share. The PowerPot inventors counter, and Cuban eventually settles on a 12% share and 3% in advisory options — as well as a spot on the board of directors — for the original $250,000.

According to WFAA, Power Practical, the company behind the PowerPot, didn't have the easiest road to success. In fact, the company was already low on funds just a few years after successfully negotiating an investment on Shark Tank. Urged on by Abe Minkara, Mark Cuban Companies' director of business development, the company finally found a winning business strategy when it switched its focus to online sales. The company also crowdfunded money to create the Luminoodle, an LED rope light available for purchase on Amazon. By the end of 2016, Power Practical had made $1.3 million.

The company's success eventually attracted the attention of more investors than just Mark Cuban — in 2020, they were purchased by Thrasio. Though it's unlikely that you'll find the famous PowerPot for sale anywhere, even online, Power Practical assured their customers in an email memo that Thrasio's acquisition wouldn't interfere with them making killer products (via Milled).