Who is Maria Curcio?
Maria Curcio co-founded VCM Products, the Freehold, New Jersey, company behind BuggyBeds, with Veronica Perlongo in 2011. BuggyBeds is a small glue trap that sits under a mattress and uses an attractant to catch bed bugs, letting travelers and homeowners detect an infestation early. Before Shark Tank, the founders had about $150,000 in sales over six months, placement at Home Depot and Burlington Coat Factory, and had turned down a $5 million offer for their trademarks and patents. On Shark Tank Season 4 (2012), the pair became the first entrepreneurs to draw offers from all five sharks, and they accepted a joint offer of $250,000 for 25% from Barbara Corcoran, Mark Cuban, Robert Herjavec, Daymond John and Kevin O'Leary.
Retail distribution then expanded sharply, with Home Depot growing from about 60 stores to 350, and the company signed distributors in more than 40 countries. The product line grew to include flea, tick, mosquito and lice products. In May 2021, Rock Mountain Capital bought a majority stake in VCM Products; Curcio and Perlongo stayed on as significant minority owners and remained active in the business.
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