Ball 2 - Shark Tank Update

Ball 2 put artificial intelligence to an unusual use: helping children invent games that get them moving. Cousins Andrew Brown and Kevin Langdon sought $200,000 for 10% of the business behind the sensor-equipped ball.

The Pennsylvania dads had founded companies together before, combining engineering and game-design experience to build a ball that tracks throws, spins, rolls, and other movements. Its app lets users describe a game to an AI assistant and start playing moments later.

The demonstration quickly won attention: Lori Greiner and MrBeast competed to shake the ball hardest, then the founders created a game on the spot that challenged players to throw it as close to ten feet high as possible without going over. MrBeast was impressed by how well the live demo worked and could imagine the challenges he would have invented as a teenager.

The business, however, was still young. In less than six months, the founders had generated $74,000 in sales from about 1,300 units, all sold through their website.

The ball retailed for $69, cost $13.29 landed including packaging, and carried a customer acquisition cost of about $37. They projected $800,000 in annual revenue and had ordered inventory to support that target.

Barbara Corcoran worried that packaging alone could not communicate the experience, while Kevin O’Leary saw an expensive uphill battle in a competitive toy market. MrBeast and Jeff Housenbold saw a stronger fit with their existing toy business, manufacturing relationships, retail distribution, and enormous marketing reach.

Their initial offer was $300,000 for 66%, which would give them control. The founders asked whether they would accept 51%; the pair countered with $250,000 for 55%.

Brown and Langdon accepted, choosing a controlling partnership with Team Beast over maintaining majority ownership.

Shoppers discovering Ball 2 after the broadcast have two main options: a $49 ball or the $69 Ball 2 + AI package, which includes credits to create 50 custom games. Both support more than 100 community games, work with Android and iOS devices, and allow two balls to connect for competitive or cooperative challenges.

Multi-ball bundles start at $79, giving families another way to play together. These options provide a lower starting price than the $69 product discussed in the pitch, although game-creation credits differ between packages.

The direct-to-consumer store is also warning that holiday inventory is limited. The televised partnership with MrBeast and Jeff Housenbold promised help with marketing, manufacturing, and distribution; confirmed results from that partnership are still to come.