KidsLuv: Here's What Happened After Appearing On Shark Tank

Sugary drinks have long been a thorn in parents' sides, but in 2017, stay-at-home mom Ashi Jelinek decided to do something about it. Frustrated with the available options for hydrating beverages containing nutritious vitamins, she set out to make her own patented formula just for kids. As many entrepreneurs do, she started tinkering around with recipes for her vision at home, only to discover that making a drink that was nutritious and also tasted good was easier said than done — but she relented. 

Jelinek worked with a formulator to nail down two solid flavors of nutrient-rich kid-friendly beverages — Flying Fla-mango and Starstruck Coconut — and before she knew it, KidsLuv was born. With "the first zero-sugar, functional drink for kids that has certified vegan vitamins and hydration" (via YouTube) ready to be introduced to the masses, Jelinek founded The Luving Company in 2018. The beverages featured recyclable, straw-free Tetra Pak packaging that was resealable and shelf-stable for up to one year.

After landing on sustainable containers for her product, Jelinek focused on the nuts and bolts of getting the beverages into the hands of like-minded parents and their kids. Manufacturing and distribution logistics were settled, and through some clever grass-roots marketing, Jelinek was able to catch the eye of a major retailer that seemed interested in carrying KidsLuv drinks in-store. However, funding was running short, so she sought capital from some of the biggest names in the investing game — the venture capitalists of "Shark Tank."

Ashi Jelinek confidently appeared in Season 11, Episode 15 of "Shark Tank" in 2020, accompanied by her son, Phoenix. Phoenix was donning a red motorcycle helmet as he took his place on stage, prompting Kevin O'Leary to utter the foreboding comment, "I got a bad feeling about this one." With sharks eagerly awaiting her pitch, she began by stating that she was seeking $200,000 for an 8% stake in her company.

Lamenting about the amount of sugar a child would consume after a year of consuming typical juice drinks, Jelinek emphasized her point by pulling a rope attached to a bucket above her son, dumping sugar all over him. She spoke more about the details of the product before giving samples to the sharks — which were met with mixed reviews. Jelinek then explained that she had sold $55,000 worth of KidsLuv but that it took about $150,000 to $200,000 to formulate it.

Jelinek's "give or take" line launched Cuban into a fit, saying he was concerned she was asking for money despite being unaware of the exact costs of her business. After further admitting that she had raised $1 million to secure IP and licensing rights – and only had $50,000 left – the sharks began to jump ship. Barbara Corcoran was the first to go, saying Jelinek "spent all that money before finding out the most important component – can it sell?" Cuban, O'Leary, and Robert Herjavec soon followed, leaving Lori Greiner to break the news that she, too, saw too much risk in the business, marking Jelinek's exit from the tank without a deal.

Securing financing on ABC's hit show is often a huge boon to a fledgling business, as illustrated by cold brew coffee company Bruw's success after appearing on "Shark Tank," but Ashi Jelinek wasn't ready to call it quits after exiting without a deal. During an interview on the What Would U Ask Podcast, she explained that despite being unable to get a shark on board with her business, her appearance gave the product "invaluable" exposure. By 2021, the nutritious kid-friendly drink was being sold at Walmart, CVS, Target, H-E-B, and on Amazon, as well as directly from the KidsLuv website.

Still, more fundraising was necessary to sustain the business. Jelinek started a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for KidsLuv on the StartEngine Marketplace – where shark Kevin O'Leary operates as a spokesperson and strategic advisor. The campaign was successful in raising at least some capital, as the company soon added two more flavors to its lineup. By 2022, KidsLuv was offering a Peach Me, I'm Orange flavor and Beary, Berry, a mixed berry flavor that included vitamin D and zinc in its formula. However, that evidently wasn't enough to keep the business afloat, as it seemed to go dark sometime after 2022.

The sharks may have been right to avoid The Luving Company because it seems the business is no longer selling KidsLuv beverages. It might have received a boost of momentum after Ashi Jelinek appeared on "Shark Tank," but it didn't launch the company toward the level of success she hoped for. She put the cart before the horse, getting patents in place and securing licensing rights before knowing whether the market was even interested in her product. The lack of business know-how the sharks alluded to when she made her pitch potentially took the company down.

Unfortunately, finding KidsLuv beverages today is seemingly impossible. The website no longer exists, and although the product is still listed on Amazon, it is listed as currently unavailable with no mention whether it will be back. KidsLuv drinks still have a 3.9-star rating on Amazon, but that is out of a meager 65 total reviews — that's not exactly a ringing endorsement from the masses.

With all its social media accounts failing to produce any posts or news about the company in recent years, it seems unlikely that KidsLuv beverages will be returning to a retailer near you anytime soon. Some social media accounts appear to have been outright deleted, further signaling that Jelinek may have thrown in the towel and that KidsLuv has gone the way of TaB soda and other discontinued products. However, one glimmer of hope remains, although it is a speculative long shot.

Jelinek's LinkedIn profile states that she is still presently the CEO of KidsLuv. One could interpret this to mean that she is making an effort to revamp the company, perhaps taking Barbara Corcoran's criticism to heart by finding out how much and how fast she can sell her product and whether those numbers translate to a viable business. With red dye No. 3 being recently banned from food and beverages, less harmful hydration options for children may be on the rise, but parents searching for a nutritious zero-sugar beverage their kids will find appealing will have to look to KidsLuv's competition until the company can operate a sustainable business model.