Where Is Aura Bora From Shark Tank Today?
The brain-child of Paul and Maddie Voge, Aura Bora is a sparkling water brand known for its unusual flavors and vivid branding (via All Shark Tank Products). The brand appeared on "Shark Tank" in 2020, per ABC, but how did the business find the show in the first place? Let's start at the beginning.
Paul and Maddie started off their careers started out as entrepreneurs with a love for sparkling water. They stumbled upon their business venture when attempting to make their own flavored sparkling water at home using a SodaStream. The two spent time experimenting with different natural ingredients and additives, and after much trial and error, they perfected a brand and made some product samples. Their natural, plant-based drink brand Aura Bora was in business.
The first official Aura Bora products came in 2019, per Foodboro, with the brand's unique flavors ranging from lemongrass coconut to basil berry. Each can features colorful, fantastical imagery thought up by creative director Maddie and the rest of the Aura Bora team. A year after the product hit shelves, the duo got a cold call from a producer on "Shark Tank" asking if they'd like to pitch to the Sharks in Vegas (via Medium). Paul and Maddie were all in.
Swimming with the Sharks (in sparkling water)
A year after its creation, Paul and Maddie Voge got their chance to grow Aura Bora when they were invited onto "Shark Tank" Season 12, Episode 11. In their pitch, they told the story of the birth of their business and described the biggest problems currently facing the sparkling water industry. Unsurprisingly, the Voges explained that the solution to these problems laid within their business. In exchange for 5% equity, they requested $150,000 from the Sharks. So, what did the Sharks thinks of Aura Bora?
Mark Cuban clearly had a distaste for the drinks, and Lori Greiner admitted that she wasn't passionate about any of the flavors. For those reasons, Cuban and Greiner were fairly quick to drop out of negotiations. Guest Shark Daniel Lubetzky commended the pair for their branding, but he also said that he worried about the niche nature of the sparkling industry, so he dropped out as well. Although Kevin "Mr. Wonderful" O'Leary eventually made one of his classic royalty offers, Paul and Maddie were more interested in an offer coming from the right side of the Sharks' chairs.
When Robert Herjavek encountered the team's product, he made a glowing remark, saying, "This might be the best branding we've seen in all 12 seasons" (per Medium). So big surprise, it was Herjavec who made a deal with Paul and Maddie. Starting with an initial offer of $150,000 for a 12% stake, after some deliberation, they all agreed on $200,000 for a 15% stake. So, what happened next?
Where is Aura Bora now?
Many times, a product will appear on "Shark Tank" because the business owners are struggling to keep it afloat, and though the publicity offers them short-term growth, it still winds up failing. Luckily, Aura Bora was not one of those cases.
Per the company's website, the sparkling water brand is still going strong well into 2023, continuing to roll out exciting flavors and fresh promotions each month. Once unimpressed by the boring traditional flavors of sparkling water, Paul and Maddie Voge have now had the chance to experiment with and share their own brand's unique flavors with the world. In fact, the business owners are still adding to the sparkling water space even as their company flourishes. In November 2022, the company added a green bean casserole-flavored seltzer water to its lineup (via Twitter).
The company has been doing so well, in fact, that Paul and Maddie Voge were even featured in Forbes 2022 30 under 30. While some of the Sharks seemed reluctant to take things nationally, the beverage line is now sold in over 2,500 stores and has raised millions from investors. Despite the risks associated with the huge market for sparkling waters (one valued at almost $30 billion per Grand View Research), Aura Bora certainly has thrived. If you're curious to give it a try, a 12-pack of the company's cactus rose flavor retails for $30 (via Amazon).