Bend man braces for plunge into ‘Shark Tank’
Bend native faces the sharks
Bend High School grad to pitch investors on ABC’s “Shark Tank”
By Tim Doran / The Bulletin
Published: September 27, 2012 4:00AM PST
Entrepreneur and Bend native Matt Franklin is scheduled to pitch his posture-correction brace to the investors on ABC’s “Shark Tank” on Friday’s episode.
But the 1987 Bend High School graduate won’t be alone.
He and business partner “Krazy” Mike Lane will be joined by Jonathan Roberts and Anna Trebunskaya, the professional dancers from the show “Dancing with the Stars.”
On “Shark Tank,” entrepreneurs try to persuade the sharks, a panel of investors, to help fund their businesses. In turn, the sharks grill the participants about their business plans.
Franklin, 43, said he cannot reveal what happens in the episode, which airs locally on KOHD at 8 p.m.
“It was terrifying,” he said.
Franklin, who now lives in Portland, and Lane appeared before Barbara Corcoran, real estate mogul; Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks and AXS TV; Robert Herjavec, technology entrepreneur; Kevin O’Leary, venture capitalist; and Daymond John, fashion and branding expert — who is also the scheduled keynote speaker for next month’s Bend Venture Conference.
As for the endorsement from the husband-and-wife celebrity dance team, Franklin said it’s not a gimmick. The couple uses PostureNow, the posture-correction product Franklin and Lane developed that reminds users not to slouch. But having celebrities help pitch the product never hurts, he said.
“Neither of us know how to dance,” Franklin said, “or know anything about it.”
— Tim Doran
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