Who is David Kittle?
David Kittle is a product designer and CEO of FOAM Coolers, the Bentonville, Arkansas, maker of lightweight EVA foam coolers. Before FOAM he developed products for other consumer brands, including two that appeared on earlier seasons of Shark Tank: Guardian Bikes in Season 8 and the Tushbaby carrier in Season 10. With co-founder Chad Lee, who brought years of experience selling to big-box retailers, Kittle designed a cooler that is cheaper and much lighter than hard-sided rivals, easy to clean and able to float.
The founders invested about $150,000 themselves and won placement in 97 Target stores before their own Shark Tank pitch in Season 16, where they asked for $150,000 for 10% on about $251,000 in sales and commitments. Daymond John offered $150,000 for 30%, and they accepted after trying to lower the stake. FOAM later partnered with Koozie Group, launched a Gen2 cooler line in eight colors, added accessories and widened its Target footprint, while selling on Amazon and its website.
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