The whole team at Parting Stone was endlessly excited to see our founder, Justin Crowe, go up against the Sharks in hopes of coming out with a deal on April 7th, 2023. We wanted to know how this unique opportunity unfolded and what the experience was like, so we asked Justin to recount the journey. He talks about the process, tape day, and what it was like to see Gwyneth Paltrow below! 

Where did the Shark Tank journey start?

This started back (pre-pandemic) in early 2020. A rep from Shark Tank initially encouraged us to apply when we were just getting Parting Stone off the ground. I went through the extensive application process just to be quickly denied. When a representative from the show reached out again in the Fall of 2022 to encourage us to apply for Season 14, I told myself that my time was probably better spent elsewhere… but I eventually applied again. 

This time we moved through the process quickly, and I was in L.A. for taping 10 weeks after submitting my application in September 2022.

This all happened in secret  - only a few people on the team who helped with the process knew. We didn’t want to get everyone excited in case the application or airing of the episode eventually fell through. 

 

What was the pitch day like? 

That entire day of my life is a bit of a blur. 

I woke up early and arrived at Sony Studios early in the morning with some other entrepreneurs. I waited for my turn to pitch for what felt like days, pacing back and forth in a waiting room. I couldn’t focus enough to work or watch Hulu, so I just paced, repeating my pitch over and over. 

When I was finally called from my waiting room, I was led to the outside of the glass doors. I could see the fish tank TVs and water on the opposite side of the glass. The doors opened, and I made my way down the hallway toward the Shark Tank.

 

Christopher Willard/ABC
Justin Crowe, of Santa Fe-based Parting Stone, appears on an episode of “Shark Tank.” The guest shark for the episode is Gwyneth Paltrow.

 

I remember walking and feeling like the hallway was way longer than it looked. Then I started thinking about if I was smiling, then about how my face was tired because I had been smiling so much that day, then wondering if my smile seemed forced because my face was so tired, then I thought about how there was no Shark Tank theme song playing and how it would be funny if i imagined it in my head to make it feel more comfortable, but I was too nervous to actually imagine the song playing in my head. 

Eventually (to my surprise), I found myself on the iconic Shark Tank carpet staring at all the Sharks. I began my pitch, and after about 30 seconds, my nervousness dissipated, and I dropped into a comfortable and familiar place I had been hundreds of times before.

 

Christopher Willard/ABC
Justin Crowe, of Santa Fe-based Parting Stone, appears on an episode of “Shark Tank.” The guest shark for the episode is Gwyneth Paltrow.

 

After 45 minutes in the Tank, I left feeling completely drained. I called my parents to share my experience and remember needing to reassure them that I enjoyed the experience -  I wasn’t showing any emotion because I was completely emotionally exhausted.

What was the most memorable part of that day?

A memorable experience from that day was arriving at Sony Studios entering the building and walking past Gwyneth Paltrow backstage. This was when I realized that she was the guest Shark who I would be pitching to. My favorite emotions are feeling scared and excited at the same time, and this experience got me excited for my pitch. 

How did you unwind after the pitch?

After the pitch, I Ubered to the Santa Monica Pier, walked a couple of miles down the beach, found a seafood restaurant, and sat alone eating lobster macaroni and oysters and drinking margaritas. I get my energy from being by myself, and after exhausting so much mental energy in such a short amount of time, this was a dream of a recovery meal.

You talk about your grandfather in the pitch - What would your grandfather think of this?

I shared a story about my grandfather in my pitch to the Sharks. Gramps (Fid Crowe) would be having so much fun with this whole experience. After he died, a friend of his wrote a note to the family that said, “Fid is fun, and fun is Fid!” This experience was one of the most fun and memorable experiences I have ever had, and it felt appropriate to have his story at the core of the experience. 

Gramps was my biggest fan. I had just got Parting Stone off the ground when he died. He wanted to be returned to our family as solidified remains after he died. His stones are now with family all over the U.S.