Where Is 180 Cup From Shark Tank Today?

It might look like the ubiquitous red SOLO cups that can be found at just about every kegger and beer pong table across the U.S., but the 180 Cup that founder Solomon Fallas pitched to "Shark Tank" back in 2013 included an interesting design addition. It was meant to be flipped over 180 degrees to reveal room for a shot, allowing drinkers to use a single disposable cup for both their beer and a shot. The slogan said it all: "Drink it. Flip it. Shoot it."

Fallas said he was inspired to create the product when he attended a college party with his brother and saw a sea of red plastic cups. When he witnessed partygoers waiting to drop shots of whiskey with those red plastic cups, he figured that by upgrading them with a 1.5 oz well for liquor on the bottom, he would be able to get a piece of that market share.

The Sharks were originally impressed by the cup's sales figures, which Fallas quoted as five million units in six months. He foresaw his product being used "at every barbecue, tailgate, birthday party, bar mitzvah, you name it, 180 Cup is there." Still, most of the potential investors were pretty quick to opt out of his request for $300,000 in exchange for 15% ownership in his company after asking the right questions. But he was able to wrangle a deal with Daymond John for the full amount in exchange for 25%.

Ironically, he could have cut the $300,000 deal with John for 20% if he had jumped on it right away. But when John offered him the take it or leave it option, Fallas failed to go for it. Instead, he held out to hear from the rest of the Sharks, hoping for a better offer. Unfortunately for him, a better deal never came and he was forced to negotiate with John — whose second offer jumped up to 30%. But they eventually came to the agreement of 25% for John's $300,000 buy-in.

The 180 Cup had a pretty good run after "Shark Tank." The cups made it into Walmart stores as well as the "Shark Tank" display at Staples. And, of course, they became available on Amazon, where they got an average rating of 3 stars.

The 180 Cup was also featured on Business Insider's 12 Awesome Gifts Ideas That Appeared On 'Shark Tank,' and the product line was expanded to include a red flask, mini red cup shooters, and a beer pong set. At one point, an environmentally friendly glass version of the cup was developed but it never took off.

Unfortunately for Fallas, he made a fatal mistake when he turned down an endorsement deal with Lil Jon due to not wanting to cut the rapper in on a percentage of sales. He ended up parting ways with "Shark Tank" investor Daymond John because of it. "We could have went to 15, 20 million dollars with that deal overnight," John said on "Beyond the Tank."

While the cup still appears on Amazon, it is not currently available — and there's no reason to think it will be coming back anytime soon, as the 180 Cup is officially out of business. 

The 180 Cup's final Facebook post and final tweet both appeared on January 7, 2016 and featured the "Beyond the Tank" episode where Fallas and John discussed their opposing business strategies. Nothing has been posted about the future of the company after that. Additionally, the company's Instagram appears to have been deleted and its website has been shut down.

While the two business partners didn't see eye to eye when it came to running 180 Cup, Fallas' failure to accept the Lil Jon deal was likely the nail in the coffin for the company. Without Daymond John as an investor and business mentor, Fallas' 180 Cup quickly dropped off. It was certainly an expensive mistake for the entrepreneur.

Fallas appears to have left the entrepreneurial scene following the dissolution of his party cup company. While the blogs Business Strategy Insights and Shark Tank Blog both report that Fallas moved on to become an account executive/officer for the sock company Collective Soles, the Daily Meal was not able to independently verify this. Fallas does not appear on LinkedIn, and the public-facing part of his personal Facebook page did not have any information about him following his 180 Cup era.

While readers may be curious about his life after the dual-purpose red cup, it appears as though he has chosen to step out of the "Shark Tank" limelight and pursue a different path. Presumably, that means the 180 Cup won't be coming back, although who knows? It could always be revived in the future. Or maybe Fallas will surprise viewers with a new invention altogether, there's no way to know for sure.