Entrepreneurs McKay Winkel and Karisa Winkel appeared on Shark Tank Season 16 to pitch their unique men’s swimwear business, Moonies Swimwear. Their brand primarily sells comfortable men’s swimsuits with a unique U-pouch design at the back, often called “cleavage for guys.” Made from high-quality materials, each swimsuit uses 86% recycled polyester.
18 years ago, McKay and Karisa attended a Speedo Competition at a houseboat party in Lake Powell, where wearing a Speedo was mandatory for men. To add some fun, McKay came up with the idea of cutting a hole in the back of his Speedo to show a bit of his butt, and that’s how Moonies was born.
Did any Sharks show interest in investing in this fashion and apparel business? Let’s find out what happened with the company and how it’s doing after Shark Tank.
| Company Name | Moonies | |
| Founder/Co-Founder | McKay Winkel and Karisa Winkel | |
| Founded | 2022 | |
| Product | men’s swimwear | |
| Asked For | $150K for 35% Equity | |
| Final Deal | No Deals | |
| Shark | No Sharks | |
| Episode | S16 E4 | |
| Air Date | Nov 8th, 2024 | |
| Business Status | In Business | |
| Website | Visit Website | |
| Headquarters | Salt Lake City, Utah, United States | |
| Annual (Revenue) | $1,000 *estimated | |
| Worth / Valuation | $428,571 | |
| Watch On | Amazon Prime | |
What Is the Background of The Founder?
McKay Winkel and Karisa Winkel founded Moonies Men’s Swimwear Company. McKay is primarily a real estate analyst with experience at companies like Boulder Ranch Properties, Bentall Kennedy, and Consolidated Investment Group.
He has also served as the President of the private investment real estate company 29th Street Capital. Currently, he is the vice president of Boulder Ranch Properties.
Karisa, the co-founder of this company, has years of expertise in advertising. After completing her Bachelor of Arts in Advertising from Brigham Young University, she worked for several years at Young & Rubicam and Pretty Handsome Paper Company.
Business Pitch Episode Recap
Husband and wife team McKay Winkel and Karisa Winkel asked the Sharks for $150,000 in exchange for 35% equity in their company. They also explained their attention-seeking swimwear product business to the Sharks.
McKay explained their swimwear product, saying the design is patented. However, the problem is that they have only made $1,000 in total sales so far. They offer two versions of the swimwear: Close Window and Open Window.
The selling price is $45, and the making cost is $12.50. With bulk orders, the cost drops to $9 per unit.
Mark Cuban believes the product has potential in the market, though he’s unsure how big the market is. However, he feels the business is not the right fit for him, so he is out.
Daniel Lubetzky believes that there is currently no potential order value, so he is out.
Robert Herjavec said he liked the business idea, but he cannot invest in it, so he is out.
Kevin O’Leary showed interest in the swimwear’s backhole patent and offered $150,000, but in exchange, he wanted 100% ownership of the product’s patent.
Karisa hoped that Lori would invest in the business, but Lori said that Kevin should offer more money. However, she decided not to invest and is out.
McKay made two counteroffers to Kevin: the first was $150,000 for 100% of the patent plus a $5 royalty on each sale, and the second was $500,000 for 100% of the patent. Kevin declined both offers and is out.
Sharks Offers list!
| Sharks | Offers |
|---|---|
| Daniel Lubetzky | No Offer |
| Kevin O’Leary | $150k for 100% Patent |
| Mark Cuban | No Offer |
| Robert Herjavec | No Offer |
| Lori Greiner | No Offer |
| Founder’s (Countered) | $500k for 100% Patent |
| Final Deals | No Deals |
Moonies Swimwear Shark Tank Update
Moonies is one of the attention-seeking businesses featured on Shark Tank, which gained significant popularity online after the episode aired. Thousands of people discussed the business on Reddit and other social media platforms.
On Reddit, some users felt that the business had no real worth and suggested that McKay should have accepted Kevin’s offer of $150,000 for 100% equity.
We are currently tracking this company for more updates.
You can check out Season 16 for more business progress reports.
