Where Is Wildwonder From Shark Tank Today?

Have you ever (wild)wondered what gut health is? The name is pretty self-explanatory, but not everyone realizes just how many microbes live in their gastrointestinal tract, as detailed by the National Institutes of Health. While that has the potential to sound a bit disturbing at first, those gut flora are essential to digestion as well as your overall well-being. Eating healthily, in general, is a fundamental aspect of maintaining proper gut health. What if you want to get more specific, though, and add gut-health foods to your diet?

Probiotics may be a key part of the answer. Science is still studying probiotics, but there's evidence to suggest these good bacteria can help regulate digestion. As BBC Good Food notes, friendly microbes can take up room in your gut, which prevents bad, unfriendly bacteria from taking root there instead. (On a related note, prebiotics nourish your gut flora, rather than your body itself.) 

Together, these biotic supplements can contribute a lot to your overall vitality. But is that something the Sharks of "Shark Tank" would be interested in?

Probiotics have been featured on "Shark Tank" before. In Season 12, probiotics proved to be a hard sell in the eyes of the Sharks. Could they fare any better on Season 14 Episode 11 of "Shark Tank?" 

Rosa Li, the founder of Wildwonder, went on "Shark Tank" to acquire a whopping $500,000 investment in exchange for a mere 5% stake in her business. Wildwonder offers a sparkling beverage filled with live probiotics and prebiotic fiber. These drinks also have fruity flavors (Guava Rose, Mango Gold, Peach Ginger), plus herbs and botanicals rooted in Chinese tradition. Li explained how, growing up in China, her grandma had used healing tonics as medicine and instilled in Li respect for their culinary heritage. That's why, as an adult with an achy stomach, Li once again turned to traditional remedies to poor gut health and created Wildwonder (via YouTube). At the time of filming, her company had gotten into more than a hundred retail stores and it had made more than $1 million in revenue.

The Sharks were impressed, but most of them still said "no." The regulars found the equity offer too low or the drink market too volatile. Only Tony Xu, Guest Shark and CEO of DoorDash, who also happened to go to business school with Li, was willing to bargain for an altered deal. In the end, Li got her $500,000.

At the time of writing, Season 14 is still the most recent season of "Shark Tank," and its 11th episode only premiered in January. But Wildwonder still seems to be going strong, and customers can buy cans, variety packs, and subscriptions from its website. There, visitors will also find a mocktail gift set and a special "Shark Tank" flavor bundle for sale. Amazon also sells Wildwonder products.

A few minor bits of news can further be gleaned from Wildwonder's Instagram account, where it's revealed that founder Rosa Li spent almost a year preparing for her TV appearance. This included setting up the products' display stand and rehearsing the pitch before arriving on set. "It felt so surreal to walk through those double doors," Li wrote. "It's gratifying to hear that the Sharks loved the taste of our products and the innovation we offer." 

Li's Instagram also notes that, even though her segment lasted less than 10 minutes, she spent more than an hour speaking with the Sharks. All that work seems to have paid off, though, and Wildwonder even held a watch party to celebrate. We bet gut flora around the world were also rejoicing.