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September 19. 2012 11:14PM
New Hampshire
The creators of Surfset Fitness will be pitching their idea to a panel of investors on the ABC reality show, Shark Tank, in a segment that airs on Friday at 8 p.m. (COURTESY)
NH entrepreneurs jump in the 'Shark Tank' for a shot at financing
The creators of Surfset Fitness will be pitching their idea to a panel of investors on the ABC reality show, Shark Tank, in a segment that airs on Friday at 8 p.m. (COURTESY)
Fitness fads come and go. In the 1980s, aerobics classes were popularized in movies like “Perfect,” starring John Travolta and Jamie Lee Curtis. Step classes were the rage in the 1990s. Today, pilates and Zumba are in demand. A group of young entrepreneurs from New Hampshire is convinced its may have the next Big Thing.
It's called Surfset Fitness, and its creators will get a chance to pitch their idea to the high-profile panel of investors on the ABC television reality show, “Shark Tank,” in a segment that airs on Friday at 8 p.m. If they succeed, their modified surfboard on hydraulics that simulate the movement of the ocean could become as ubiquitous as step platforms at a 1990s aerobics studio.
Mike Hartwick and Bill Ninteau, both graduates of Bishop Guertin High School in Nashua, built the first 11 prototypes of the RipSurfer X in the Litchfield basement of Ninteau's parents during the week after the October 2011 snowstorm that knocked out power throughout the state. The partners had already committed to classes at health clubs on a nine-city tour and needed the equipment.
“We spent the entire week building them in freezing conditions in Litchfield at Bill's house, running on generators,” said Hartwick.
In the year since, the company has expanded to include a director of fitness, Sarah Ponn, and a director of public relations and media, Nick Karowski. The newest version of the RipSurfer X is being manufactured by a subcontractor in Ohio at the rate of about 200 a week, but the company still can't keep up with demand.
“We're back-ordered about 1,500 boards,” Hartwick said. “Our customers have been incredibly understanding. We've had to refund a lot of orders and said we'll be in touch.”
The funding and expertise that could come by swaying one or more of the wealthy “sharks” on Friday's episode could propel the company from promising startup to a major player in the field of fitness equipment. The show was filmed in Los Angles in July. Hartwick and his associates already know the outcome, but are sworn to secrecy by ABC rules.
The network publicists describe the program this way:
“The Shark Tank gives budding entrepreneurs the chance to make their dreams come true, and possibly make a business deal that will make them a millionaire. Season three continues to make TV history, with the Sharks offering over $6.2 million of their own money in investment deals to bankroll a creative array of innovative entrepreneurs.
“The entrepreneurs who dare to enter the 'Shark Tank' must try to convince the tough, self-made tycoons to part with their own hard-earned cash and give them the funding they desperately need to jumpstart their business ideas. But the Sharks have a goal, too. They want a return on their investment and to own a piece of the next big business idea.”
Hartwick said the expertise and mentoring that would come with winning “shark” backing is equal to or greater than the value of the investment. He and his partners have already turned down financing offers. “We had offers in front of us, but no deal stuck out that said, 'This is the one for us,'” he said. “Then we got the call from 'Shark Tank.'”
The five sharks who will hear Hartwick and Ponn make their pitch and demonstrate the equipment are billionaire Mark Cuban, owner and chairman of HDNet and the Dallas Mavericks; fashion and branding expert Daymond John; venture capitalist Kevin O'Leary; real estate mogul Barbara Corcoran; and technology innovator Robert Herjavec.
The idea for Surfset Fitness came to Hartwick shortly after his graduation from Dartmouth College with a history degree in 2007. While visiting his sister on the West Coast, he discovered the fitness benefits of surfing. “I tried to surf as much as I possibly could, and I started to realize there was an unbelievable connection between my fitness level and surfing.”
He and Ninteau began working on the RipSurfer X protype and were testing it out at a gym in Manchester when they met Ponn. Her expertise in fitness training provided a missing piece to the puzzle. “The real driving force behind the product coming to fruition was meeting Sarah,” he said. “She built the website and is in charge of our whole marketing effort. She said, 'You've got this all wrong.' We were looking at it as a product we could use at home, and she saw it as something you could incorporate into group fitness and put a new spin on step aerobics or boot camp.”
Last summer, Hartwick and Ponn worked at the Castle in the Clouds in Moultonborough to raise money for the venture, while Ninteau kept his job at Fidelity Investments. They raised $8,000 from their summer work, family and friends. “Then we got a bunch of credit cards and maxed those out as well,” Hartwick said.
What followed was a whirlwind tour of classes at gyms in New York City, using RipSurfer X prototypes. Someone from UrbanDaddy.com reviewed one of the classes and the idea took off. “That brought us to the media light,” Hartwick said. “The next day we sold out two weeks of classes in the course of four hours.”
The RipSurfer X has since been featured on the “Martha Stewart Show,” “Good Morning America” and “Access Hollywood,” Hartwick said.
When asked about corporate headquarters, he hedged at first, saying they run the operation out of Bedford, Manchester, Litchfield and Moultonborough. Then he came clean. “Actually, we're all in our mid-20s, and those are basically our mom's and dad's houses. When we decided to go all in, we sacrificed the apartment in Boston and those sorts of things to scale back and put all our resources into the company,” Hartwick said. “We took the ego hits and moved back home.”
Those living arrangements may not last for long, however, depending on the outcome of Friday night's “Shark Tank” episode.
Dave Solomon may be reached at dsolomon@unionleader.com.
It's called Surfset Fitness, and its creators will get a chance to pitch their idea to the high-profile panel of investors on the ABC television reality show, “Shark Tank,” in a segment that airs on Friday at 8 p.m. If they succeed, their modified surfboard on hydraulics that simulate the movement of the ocean could become as ubiquitous as step platforms at a 1990s aerobics studio.
Mike Hartwick and Bill Ninteau, both graduates of Bishop Guertin High School in Nashua, built the first 11 prototypes of the RipSurfer X in the Litchfield basement of Ninteau's parents during the week after the October 2011 snowstorm that knocked out power throughout the state. The partners had already committed to classes at health clubs on a nine-city tour and needed the equipment.
“We spent the entire week building them in freezing conditions in Litchfield at Bill's house, running on generators,” said Hartwick.
In the year since, the company has expanded to include a director of fitness, Sarah Ponn, and a director of public relations and media, Nick Karowski. The newest version of the RipSurfer X is being manufactured by a subcontractor in Ohio at the rate of about 200 a week, but the company still can't keep up with demand.
“We're back-ordered about 1,500 boards,” Hartwick said. “Our customers have been incredibly understanding. We've had to refund a lot of orders and said we'll be in touch.”
The funding and expertise that could come by swaying one or more of the wealthy “sharks” on Friday's episode could propel the company from promising startup to a major player in the field of fitness equipment. The show was filmed in Los Angles in July. Hartwick and his associates already know the outcome, but are sworn to secrecy by ABC rules.
The network publicists describe the program this way:
“The Shark Tank gives budding entrepreneurs the chance to make their dreams come true, and possibly make a business deal that will make them a millionaire. Season three continues to make TV history, with the Sharks offering over $6.2 million of their own money in investment deals to bankroll a creative array of innovative entrepreneurs.
“The entrepreneurs who dare to enter the 'Shark Tank' must try to convince the tough, self-made tycoons to part with their own hard-earned cash and give them the funding they desperately need to jumpstart their business ideas. But the Sharks have a goal, too. They want a return on their investment and to own a piece of the next big business idea.”
Hartwick said the expertise and mentoring that would come with winning “shark” backing is equal to or greater than the value of the investment. He and his partners have already turned down financing offers. “We had offers in front of us, but no deal stuck out that said, 'This is the one for us,'” he said. “Then we got the call from 'Shark Tank.'”
The five sharks who will hear Hartwick and Ponn make their pitch and demonstrate the equipment are billionaire Mark Cuban, owner and chairman of HDNet and the Dallas Mavericks; fashion and branding expert Daymond John; venture capitalist Kevin O'Leary; real estate mogul Barbara Corcoran; and technology innovator Robert Herjavec.
The idea for Surfset Fitness came to Hartwick shortly after his graduation from Dartmouth College with a history degree in 2007. While visiting his sister on the West Coast, he discovered the fitness benefits of surfing. “I tried to surf as much as I possibly could, and I started to realize there was an unbelievable connection between my fitness level and surfing.”
He and Ninteau began working on the RipSurfer X protype and were testing it out at a gym in Manchester when they met Ponn. Her expertise in fitness training provided a missing piece to the puzzle. “The real driving force behind the product coming to fruition was meeting Sarah,” he said. “She built the website and is in charge of our whole marketing effort. She said, 'You've got this all wrong.' We were looking at it as a product we could use at home, and she saw it as something you could incorporate into group fitness and put a new spin on step aerobics or boot camp.”
Last summer, Hartwick and Ponn worked at the Castle in the Clouds in Moultonborough to raise money for the venture, while Ninteau kept his job at Fidelity Investments. They raised $8,000 from their summer work, family and friends. “Then we got a bunch of credit cards and maxed those out as well,” Hartwick said.
What followed was a whirlwind tour of classes at gyms in New York City, using RipSurfer X prototypes. Someone from UrbanDaddy.com reviewed one of the classes and the idea took off. “That brought us to the media light,” Hartwick said. “The next day we sold out two weeks of classes in the course of four hours.”
The RipSurfer X has since been featured on the “Martha Stewart Show,” “Good Morning America” and “Access Hollywood,” Hartwick said.
When asked about corporate headquarters, he hedged at first, saying they run the operation out of Bedford, Manchester, Litchfield and Moultonborough. Then he came clean. “Actually, we're all in our mid-20s, and those are basically our mom's and dad's houses. When we decided to go all in, we sacrificed the apartment in Boston and those sorts of things to scale back and put all our resources into the company,” Hartwick said. “We took the ego hits and moved back home.”
Those living arrangements may not last for long, however, depending on the outcome of Friday night's “Shark Tank” episode.
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Dave Solomon may be reached at dsolomon@unionleader.com.