In many cities, people see dull, blank walls that feel empty and lifeless. These plain walls on buildings, fences, and even inside businesses make spaces look boring and uninspiring. For companies, this can be a missed opportunity. A plain wall does not attract customers or create excitement. Businesses often look for new ways to stand out, but many end up with generic signs or digital ads that people quickly forget.
Hand-painted murals offer a powerful solution because they bring color, creativity, and personality to spaces. Murals catch people’s eyes and make them stop and look. They give businesses a way to tell stories, share messages, or showcase their brand in a big, bold, and artistic way. But finding reliable artists who can create these murals professionally and managing all the logistics can be difficult for busy companies.
This is where Emily Strauss and her business, Mural Painter, come in. She saw that businesses needed help turning their walls into beautiful advertising spaces. Emily realized murals were not only art but also effective marketing tools. She created an agency that connects talented artists with companies needing creative murals.
When she appeared on Shark Tank in Season 11, Emily explained her mission to bring murals back into the spotlight and shared how her agency helped both artists and brands.
Her pitch highlighted how Mural Painter grew from a small word-of-mouth project to a business serving big brands. She wanted the Sharks to invest $300,000 for 15% equity, aiming to expand her agency into more cities and improve how she matches artists to jobs. What happened next surprised everyone. Keep reading to learn how the Sharks reacted and what has happened with Mural Painter since Emily’s appearance on Shark Tank.
Mural Painters Inc. Net Worth Shark Tank Update 2025
Emily was looking for an investment of $300k in exchange for 15% equity in the company. At the time of the episode, she valued her company at $2 million. Emily successfully secured a deal with Barbara for an investment of $100k cash and a $200k line of credit for 15% equity in the company. The investment adjusted the company’s net worth to around $2 million. After the show was aired, Mural Painter experienced a good boost in exposure. As per my rough estimate, the current net worth of Mural Painter is around $5 million.
Shark(s) name | Offer & Demand | Counteroffer | Accepted? |
Barbara Corcoran | $100,000 cash + $200,000 line of credit for 15% | N/A | Yes |
Kevin O’Leary | $300,000 for 35% equity | N/A | No |
Lori Greiner | Out | N/A | N/A |
Daymond John | Out | N/A | N/A |
Mark Cuban | Out | N/A | N/A |
Emily Strauss Backstory + Their Initial Pitch
Emily Strauss has been an artist since she was a child. She always loved painting and expressing herself through art. When she was a teenager, her parents let her paint their kitchen cabinets, turning them into her first canvas. Because Emily’s mom worked from home and often had clients visit the house, many people saw Emily’s paintings in the kitchen and were impressed.
Some of these visitors started asking Emily to paint for them. This led to Emily getting her first paid painting jobs while she was still young. It was then that Emily realized her passion for art could also be a business.
However, her journey was not easy. At 17, Emily faced a serious illness that forced her to drop out of high school. She later got her GED and took art classes in college, where she met other aspiring artists. Emily noticed that many of her classmates were talented but struggled to find steady work as artists.
She saw an opportunity to help these artists get jobs while also helping businesses get professional murals. So she started Mural Painter as a way to connect skilled painters with companies needing beautiful hand-painted art for advertising, branding, or decoration.
During her Shark Tank pitch, Emily explained how Mural Painter works as an agency. When a company needs a mural, they reach out to her team, which then assigns the best artists for the job. The artists are paid hourly, starting at $16 an hour, and larger projects sometimes require multiple artists working together. Emily shared that her business started as word-of-mouth but had grown quickly.
In the year of filming Shark Tank, she projected her company would reach about $800,000 in sales with a profit of $100,000. She told the Sharks she needed the investment to expand Mural Painter to new cities and build a better system for matching artists to projects, which would make the process smoother for everyone involved.
Queries + Sharks’ Responses, and Final Deal
Lori Greiner asked Emily about how she got into the painting business. Emily shared her story of growing up as an artist and how her parents encouraged her by letting her paint at home. She described how her mom’s work-from-home clients admired her art, which led to offers for paid painting jobs. Emily’s early work turned into a business almost by accident. Lori was clearly impressed by Emily’s passion and determination.
But even with this admiration, Lori felt the business was not the right fit for her. She did not see how she could help Emily scale the business, so she decided to go out.
Kevin O’Leary was curious about the costs. He asked how much it would cost to commission a mural like the large Shark Tank-themed piece Emily had painted for her pitch. Emily answered that it would cost $15,000. Kevin was impressed by the price point because it showed that businesses were willing to pay good money for quality murals. Seeing potential, Kevin offered Emily $300,000 in exchange for 35% equity.
His offer was higher than Emily’s ask, but he wanted more than double the equity she was offering. Kevin explained that he thought he could help her grow, but needed a larger stake because he expected it would take a lot of work to scale the business.
Mark Cuban listened to Emily’s pitch carefully. But he decided that Mural Painter did not match his investment style. He told Emily he did not know the industry well enough to add value and worried about how she could scale a service-based business that depends heavily on people.
Mark thought it would be difficult to maintain consistent quality as the company grew and hired more artists. Because of these concerns, he chose to go out without making an offer.
Daymond John also decided to go out. He thought the high turnover of artists could make it hard for Emily to keep consistent results. Daymond believed that artists might leave once they gained enough experience or found other opportunities, leading to constant training of new team members. He did not see a way to solve this issue, so he passed on investing.
Barbara Corcoran admired Emily’s creativity and resilience. She appreciated how Emily had turned personal challenges into a successful business that also created opportunities for other artists. Barbara offered Emily $100,000 in cash plus a $200,000 line of credit in exchange for 15% equity, matching the equity Emily originally asked for.
Barbara also offered advice on expanding to more cities and building systems to support her team. Emily saw Barbara’s experience with creative businesses and her understanding of real estate and local markets as valuable. She decided to accept Barbara’s offer, sealing the deal with excitement.
Product Availability
Mural Painter is not a traditional product you buy in a store. Instead, it is a service that connects talented artists with businesses looking for custom murals, hand-painted signs, and large-scale artworks for indoor and outdoor spaces. Emily’s agency offers businesses the chance to create beautiful, attention-grabbing murals that can transform empty walls into vibrant marketing pieces.
Murals can be painted on the exteriors of buildings, inside offices, restaurants, and retail stores, or on temporary surfaces like pop-up shops and events.
What makes Mural Painter unique is how they manage every part of the project, from the design phase to the final painting. Clients start by sharing their ideas with the agency, then Mural Painter’s team creates sketches and concepts. Once the client approves the design, artists are dispatched to the location to complete the mural.
The agency handles all logistics, including permits, insurance, scaffolding, and scheduling. This full-service approach helps businesses avoid the headaches of managing complex art installations on their own.
Interested companies can learn about Mural Painter’s services and view past projects on their official website. They can request quotes, see photos of murals completed for major brands, and learn about the agency’s process. Prices for murals start at several thousand dollars and vary depending on the size, complexity, location, and other factors. Mural Painter operates in cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Miami, with plans to expand to even more cities.
What Happened To Mural Painter After Shark Tank?
After Shark Tank aired, Emily’s business experienced a big boost in exposure. Many businesses that saw her pitch reached out to hire a Mural Painter. This helped Emily grow her company beyond New York City and Los Angeles. Today, Mural Painter has completed murals for some of the world’s biggest brands, including Netflix, Google, Amazon, Etsy, Spotify, Sony, Adidas, and Taco Bell.
These high-profile projects proved the power of hand-painted advertising and helped Mural Painter establish itself as a leader in the mural industry.
Emily expanded her business by opening new agency locations, including one in Florida. She also launched a second company, House Painters, offering residential and commercial painting services for interiors and exteriors. This new venture allowed Emily to diversify her business and reach a wider range of customers.
Today, Mural Painter remains a thriving agency that helps artists find meaningful work while giving businesses a creative way to stand out. The company’s website features a growing portfolio of murals, and its social media shows behind-the-scenes looks at projects in progress. Emily’s team continues to match talented artists with clients who want to transform their spaces.
Even years after Shark Tank, Mural Painter is proof that a passion for art and a smart business model can turn dreams into reality.
Conclusion
Emily Strauss came to Shark Tank with a vision to bring murals back to life in advertising and create job opportunities for artists. She asked the Sharks for $300,000 for 15% equity, but ultimately accepted Barbara Corcoran’s offer of $100,000 cash and a $200,000 line of credit for the same equity stake. Although some Sharks had concerns about scaling a service-based business, Barbara believed in Emily’s passion and unique approach.
Emily’s story shows how creativity and determination can turn a childhood hobby into a thriving business. Since Shark Tank, Mural Painter has completed murals for some of the biggest brands in the world and expanded to new locations. Emily’s journey reminds everyone that thinking outside the box can lead to extraordinary success.

Hey, I’m Amna Habib, an undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor’s in Business Administration. Shark Tank has always been one of my favorite TV shows because it offers a unique glimpse into the world of entrepreneurship. The way entrepreneurs present innovative solutions to everyday problems aligns with my academic interests and fuels my curiosity about business strategies. Each pitch showcases creativity and strategic decision-making, which I find both insightful and inspiring. Watching the show has deepened my passion for business and motivated me to explore the world of entrepreneurship even further. Beyond business and writing, I love food, shopping, and spending time with my friends and family.