We all love dates; of course, the small sweet fruit, but we don’t really hear much about dates in our daily lives. As a matter of fact, dates are among the most underrated fruits in the United States.

Melissa Bartow, an NYU alumnus, wanted to change that with her delicious nut butter recipe that has dates in it. By doing so, she allowed Americans to satisfy their cravings for sweet butter with a delicious, low-calorie solution that also introduced them to the world of dates.

After initiating the sale of small jars of Wanna Date, she sought additional funding and a shark investor on Shark Tank to help expand her business.

In this article, we will briefly explain how Wanna Date was pitched at Shark Tank, what happened after Shark Tank, and how the business is doing in 2023. At the end of the article, we will reveal Wanna Date’s net worth and projected sales for 2023, so stay tuned!

Wanna Date, Sweet yet Low Calories

Image Source: eatwannadate

Wanna Date is a range of spreads made from dates that are vegan, free from allergens, and composed of natural ingredients. 

They are a nutritious and low-calorie substitute for typical sugary snacks and are available in several flavors, such as Cinnamon, Pumpkin Spice, Vanilla, Chocolate, and Natural Date. We love sugar, and luckily, now we can have a low-calorie sweet spread with only 25 calories per serving. Most spreads have at least 60-70 calories.

Wanna Date Ingredients

The main ingredients in the chocolate date spread are Dates, Water, Cocoa Powder, and Lactic Acid. What’s even more interesting is that Wanna Date has improved the quality, and there are now only 25 calories per serving; previously, it was 30.

About the Founder

Melissa Bartow is the CEO and founder of Wanna Date. She graduated from New York University in Entrepreneurship Studies in 2019. Since then, she is focused on her dates butter company and the business is doing great. 

Image Source: Twitter

She also works full-time as a Studio Manager at New York Pilates. She appeared on Shark Tank to pitch her business and successfully closed a deal with Mark Cuban.

Wanna Date: Story, and Before Shark Tank

Melissa created Wanna Date after discovering that the acai bowls she was serving at a smoothie and acai bowl shop near campus were loaded with added sugars. She wanted to sweeten the bowls, but not with sugar.

She then, using a cheap food processor, created a date spread to add sweets. Melissa played around with various flavors like cocoa, vanilla, and pumpkin spice, and shared her creations with very impressed friends.

As an ambitious NYU alumnus, she came up with ways to fund her business. She started an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign and officially started Wanna Date. 

Before coming on Shark Tank, Melissa singlehandedly handled all the challenges regarding manufacturing, financing, sales, and distributing her product at a large scale. She sold over $31000 worth of Wanna Date before the Shark Tank appearance.

She knew the business had growth potential, so she decided to apply for Shark Tank, and the rest is history. (read on to know why)

Wanna Date’s Shark Tank Appearance and Deal with Mark Cuban, Explained

On Season 11 Episode 12 of Shark Tank in 2020, Melissa Bartow pitched Wanna Date seeking a $100,000 investment for a 20% stake in her business.

Melissa revealed that she turned her obsession with dates into a business when she found out that there’s a huge untapped market, and the Americans don’t know much about the low-calorie properties of dates.

Here’s the full breakdown of Wanna Date’s Shark Tank Pitch:

Melissa revealed that her business had just started, and she sold over $31,000 worth of Wanna Date to date. 

The Sharks’ Reaction to Wanna Date

After hearing about the sales, the shark began to feel uncertain, believing that the business was still too early to invest in. Along with the business, they also felt that $12 for a sweet jar was too high, but Melissa justified the price with the uniqueness and the quality it offers.

Daymond John decided not to invest because he thought it would be hard to convince people to go on dates. Lori thought that the business was too early to invest in, so she was out too.

The weirdest part of the TV show was when Barbara Corcoran told Melissa that she was too privileged and didn’t have enough motivation to succeed on her own. Barbara believed that Melissa’s father was helping her too much. Melissa, having supporting parents, couldn’t hold her emotions and started crying during her pitch.

“Well, I won’t be homeless if I fail, but I do everything on my own,” said Melissa as she started weeping.

Mark Cuban disagreed with Barbara and offered Melissa a deal. Mark offered $100,000 for a 33% stake in the company, and he wasn’t open to negotiations; Melissa accepted the deal, and this proved to be one of the best decisions of her life.

Wanna Date After Shark Tank

After Shark Tank and Mark Cuban’s deal, Wanna Date proved to be Mark Cuban’s one of the best investments ever. With Melissa’s commitment and Mark’s marketing skills, they brought Wanna Date to the sky by improving the website, posting more on social media, and marketing the product heavily to the targeted audience.

There are 4,000 unique monthly visits on the Wanna Date website every month. Also, they are very active on Instagram as they market their new and delicious products almost every day.

In the start, Wanna Date was merely a small business with low sales but thanks to Mark Cuban’s investment, it has become a successful business generating millions of dollars of revenue each year.

Wanna Date Net Worth in 2023 (and Sales)

Thanks to Mark Cuban’s help and investment, Wanna Date has expanded its business significantly, and as of 2023, the company has a net worth of well over $5 million.

The company valuation has been calculated based on the previous sales numbers, past valuation, Crunchbase profile, and projected sales numbers for 2023.

According to unofficial sources, 2023 has proven to be the best year so far for Wanna Date as the company projected revenue will exceed $4 million. 

With this year’s revenue already approaching the $5 million mark (current net worth), if Wanna Date continues to experience growth at its current rate, the company is poised to reach a net worth of $10 million by 2025.

Summary

Wanna Date is a $5 million business helped by Mark Cuban’s investment and Melissa Bartow’s hard work. Bartow created the spread to add sweetness to her acai bowls. She founded and ran the business herself before seeking investment in Shark Tank.

Although the Sharks were unsure, Cuban offered $100,000 for a 33% stake. With his help, Wanna Date became a successful business in 2023 and has become an inspiration to entrepreneurs who want to make unique products, when the odds are against them.

Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs

Is Wanna Date a successful business?

Yes, as of 2023, Wanna Date is a successful business with a net worth of $5 million. It has grown with the help of Mark Cuban’s investment and Melissa Bartow’s dedication.

What happened to Wanna Date from Shark Tank?

Wanna Date got $100,000 from Mark Cuban for 33% of the business on Shark Tank. Since then, they’ve grown into a $5 million business by selling low-calorie date spreads in different flavors.

How many sales does Wanna Date have?

Wanna Date has been featured in publications such as Forbes, NYU, and WSN, and has generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in sales. In 2023, the company is projected to achieve $4 million in sales.

Who is the owner of Wanna Date?

The founder, owner, and CEO of Wanna Date is Melissa Bartow, who created the company from her NYU dorm room. In 2019, Mark Cuban bought one-third of the company for $100,000 in a Shark Tank deal.

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