Banana Phone Net Worth Shark Tank Update 2025

Work can often feel repetitive and dull, especially when you’re stuck at a desk all day using the same gadgets. Recognizing this, Max Brown and Brian Brunsing wanted to inject some excitement and humor into the workplace. They came up with a quirky idea: the Banana Phone. 

The Banana Phone is a Bluetooth handset that looks like a banana. It pairs with smartphones, allowing users to take calls in a fun and silly manner. What started as a lighthearted joke quickly gained popularity, leading them to turn it into a real business, and it took off in sales.

In an appearance on Shark Tank Season 14, the founders sought $250,000 in exchange for 10% of their company to help grow their unique product. Although the investors, known as the Sharks, found the concept entertaining, they chose not to invest. Despite this, the Banana Phone continued to sell well, proving its appeal to customers.

Banana Phone Net Worth Shark Tank Update 2025

Max and Brian were looking for an investment of $250k in exchange for 10% equity in the company. At the time of the episode, they valued their company at $2.5 million. They did not secure a deal on Shark Tank. After the show was aired, the company experienced a good boost in exposure. As per my rough estimate, the current net worth of Banana Phone in 2025 is around $2.5 million.

Shark(s) nameOffer & DemandCounterofferAccepted?
Robert Herjavec OutN/AN/A
Lori GreinerOutN/AN/A
Kevin O’LearyOutN/AN/A
Daymond JohnOutN/AN/A
Mark CubanOutN/AN/A

Max Brown and Brian Brunsing Backstory + Their Initial Pitch 

Max and Brian noticed that work life was a bit too serious and that people could use something fun to break the routine. They were inspired by a joke about answering a banana as if it were a phone, which led them to think, What if we turned this joke into a real product? They went ahead and created a Bluetooth-enabled banana phone. This wasn’t just a silly idea; it was a real phone that you could use to make calls.

Starting this unusual tech business was not without its difficulties. They had trouble finding a factory that would make phones shaped like bananas. A lot of people thought the idea was just a joke and didn’t take it seriously. They needed to find a way to convince people that this banana phone was a fun product worth buying.

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Regardless of these challenges, they successfully launched the Banana Phone in 2016, and it became very popular, particularly as a lighthearted gift for offices and parties.

In their Shark Tank pitch, they shared important details about their business. It cost them $6 to make each banana phone, and they sold it for $39.99. Their total sales reached $1.6 million, with $540,000 made in just 2021. After deducting costs, they had made a profit of $123,000 in 2021. People could buy the Banana Phone mainly on Amazon and through ads on social media.

To grow their business further and get the Banana Phone into stores like Bed Bath & Beyond, they were looking for $250,000 in exchange for 10% ownership of the business.

Queries + Shark’s Responses, and Final Deal

In this scenario, a group of investors known as “The Sharks” is considering a new product. While they find the product entertaining or amusing, they have several concerns that lead them to ultimately decide not to invest. 

Mark Cuban: He thinks the product is fun but believes it won’t be able to grow significantly or reach a large market. So, he decides not to invest.

Kevin O’Leary (Mr. Wonderful): He is worried because the product doesn’t have a patent, meaning there’s a risk that anyone could easily copy it. This lack of protection is a deal-breaker for him, and he opts out.

Lori Greiner: She recognizes that the product might be good for novelty gifts, but she doesn’t see it developing into a sustainable or long-lasting business. Thus, she chooses not to invest.

Robert Herjavec: He likes the idea but feels that it’s not the right fit for him personally, leading him to bow out of the deal.

Barbara Corcoran: She finds the product creative but doubts its potential for significant growth in the market, so she also decides not to invest.

What Went Wrong With Banana Phone On Shark Tank?

The Banana Phone was a humorous product that caught some attention, but the investors (known as the Sharks) weren’t convinced it was a good business opportunity. There was no legal protection for the Banana Phone, which meant that other companies could easily make and sell similar products without any restrictions. This could hurt sales since competitors could offer similar items.

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The Banana Phone is considered a novelty item, which means it might be popular for a while but could quickly lose its appeal. The Sharks were concerned that once the novelty wore off, people would stop buying it.

The creators of the Banana Phone, Max and Brian, were not fully devoted to the business. This raised questions about their dedication to making it successful, as investing in a business typically requires a lot of time and energy. In short, the Sharks felt that without proper protection, a stable market, and full commitment from the creators, investing in the Banana Phone was too risky.

Product Availability

The Banana Phone was a fun and silly product that looked like a banana but worked as a phone! Before the company that made the Banana Phone sold itself, you could easily buy it online. You could go to their official website (though that website isn’t working anymore) or find it on places like Amazon. It costs $39.99, which is about the same as a popular video game or a good pair of headphones.

This means you can connect it to your smartphone without any wires! It made it easy to make calls or listen to music.

It looked just like a banana! This made it great for pranks, like pretending to talk on a banana phone, or as a funny gift for friends. The company did something nice too—1% of all the money they made from selling the Banana Phone went to help save gorillas in the wild. So, every time someone bought a Banana Phone, they were also helping to protect animals!

Overall, the Banana Phone was not just a quirky gadget; it was also a way to have fun and help a good cause!

What Happened To The Banana Phone After Shark Tank?

The Banana Phone is a quirky product that managed to be quite successful, even without getting a deal on the show “Shark Tank,” which is known for helping entrepreneurs secure funding and support. In 2022, the Banana Phone generated $1 million in revenue, indicating it was popular and selling well. In 2023, the company that makes the Banana Phone was acquired by another company, but the name of the buyer has not been revealed.

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In August 2023, one of the founders, Brian, left the company. However, Max, another founder, remained in charge as the CEO. As of today, the Banana Phone is still being sold, but it’s now run by different people than those who originally created it.

In essence, the Banana Phone continued to thrive even without “Shark Tank,” went through a change in ownership, and is still available on the market, albeit with new management.

Conclusion 

The Banana Phone is a quirky, fun product that looks like a banana but is actually a functioning phone. When its creators, Max and Brian, presented it on the show Shark Tank, they tried to impress the investors (the Sharks) with their humorous pitch. Unfortunately, the Sharks weren’t interested in investing.

They had concerns about whether the product could be produced on a large scale if it could be protected legally with patents, and whether there would be lasting interest from customers.

Despite not getting a deal on the show, the Banana Phone ended up being quite successful in sales, bringing in over $1 million. Eventually, it was even sold to another company. For what started as a silly idea, that’s a significant achievement!

If you ever find the Banana Phone for sale, it could be a fun item to have, as it adds a playful twist to making phone calls.