Local entrepreneurs Connor Riley and Samantha Meis, the cofounders of MistoBox, are taking the plunge into the “tank” to pitch their business idea on ABC’s hit reality television series Shark Tank on Friday May 3rd at 7 p.m.
On the show Riley and Meis will be introduced to a panel of five wealthy millionaire and billionaire investors (“sharks”) where they will pitch MistoBox, a company aimed at revolutionizing the way people buy and discover coffee. Riley and Meis were selected among 36,000 applicants to pitch their innovative business idea in hopes of getting their venture funded.
“Getting to pitch to the investors on Shark Tank was a once in a lifetime experience. It was so exciting and terrifying all at the same time!” said Meis.
MistoBox, based out of Downtown Phoenix’s revitalized warehouse district, sends subscribers four exceptional coffees each month from artisan roasters across the country. In order to narrow it down, each month a panel of MistoBox coffee experts taste more than 50 coffees submitted by different coffee roasters to decide which make the cut and are delivered to subscribers’ doorsteps. Subscribers can then brew each of the selected coffees and pick a favorite. When they find one they love, they can head back to MistoBox’s online shop to get up to two full bags of their favorite with free shipping. It’s just enough coffee to tide subscribers over until their next MistoBox is delivered, and they discover their next favorite!
Local favorite Cartel Coffee, based out of Tempe, was featured just last month. “This was by far one of our most popular coffees featured ever, and it’s local which is great! We love supporting local companies,” said Meis.
You could say Riley, a Phoenix native, and Meis are two adventurers with an entrepreneurial spirit. The pair met while studying abroad in Spain where they fulfilled their need for adventure by running with the bulls together.
A year after returning back to the University of Arizona in Tucson, they were paired up in the Entrepreneurship Program at the Eller College of Management where they were given a class assignment to come up with an innovative business idea. They absolutely loved coffee and wanted to figure out a way to get delicious coffees – from the best roasters – into more people’s homes. MistoBox was born on their college graduation day in 2012 and began with funding from a successful Kickstarter project, an online platform for raising funds and gaining investors for a startup company. Since, the two have moved the company to Phoenix and are expanding their network of coffee-crazed subscribers every day!
“It is incredible the response we’re getting,” said Riley. “In the fast-paced lives we all live, it’s convenient and exciting for people to get these great coffees without having to take the extra time find them.”
Will the sharks “bite” on MistoBox? Tune in to ABC on Friday, May 3rd at 7 p.m. to find out.
