Nancy Kalish may not have found an investor on “Shark Tank,” but she says Rule Breaker Snacks has benefited from the look. Just seconds after the episode aired in February 2021, Kalish says she saw sales on Amazon pouring in. “I moved to retailers,” she says. “Over the next few years, they played the episode 10 to 15 times, and each time, we got an unexpected shock online.”

Kalish has since received funding from other sources. Shortly after filming the episode, she entered a major slam, attracting the interest of Bimbo Bakeries USA, owner of bakery brands such as Sara Lee, Thomas, and Entenmann’s. The company made a minority investment in Rule Breaker Snacks, which Kalish believes was the first investment by their venture group in the US. The company also raised $171,000 on crowdfunding platform Republic.com.

“I’ve got a lot of other angels, and I’ll be raising money again soon,” Kalish says. “Slowly but surely, I was able to pay off my personal debt, but not all of it.” According to one industry publication, Rule Breaker Snacks generated $1.3 million in sales the year Shark Tank aired, compared to sales of $444,000 in 2020. Kalish says her company met its sales goal of $2.2 million in 2022.

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