If you watched Shark Tank back in 2017, you might remember SmartGurlz. The company’s founder, Sharmi Albrechtsen, rolled onto the stage with small, scooter-riding dolls, hoping to inspire more girls to get into STEM — and, of course, hoping to land some investment to scale things up. Let’s take a real look at what happened during their pitch, how things took off, the major deals that came later, and where things actually stand today.
SmartGurlz: Bringing Coding to Girls, One Robot at a Time
SmartGurlz isn’t your usual toy startup. Sharmi, driven by the lack of STEM toys designed for girls, set out to build something her own daughter would want to play with — something cute that taught coding without feeling too “schoolish.”
The main product was a doll on a Segway-style scooter, controlled and programmed by an app. It combines the kind of play kids love with the basics of math, robotics, and computer logic. It stood out in a sea of STEM kits that mostly targeted boys, and Sharmi quickly got herself noticed in both the education world and among parents.
The Shark Tank Pitch: High Stakes and an On-Air Deal
When Sharmi showed up on Shark Tank in Season 9, she didn’t just have a neat toy. She had early sales numbers, awards, and stories from families who said the product had changed how their girls saw coding.
She wanted $200,000 for 5% of the business — a strong ask, even by Shark Tank standards. The sharks liked the mission but pressed her on margins and customer acquisition. In the end, it was Daymond John who jumped in, but on his terms: $200,000 for 25% of the company.
Sharmi considered the offer, then took it in front of a national TV audience. But if you paid attention to later Shark Tank updates, you might have caught that the deal never actually closed off-camera.
Even Without a Deal, a Sales Wave and Fresh Partnerships
The failed deal didn’t stop SmartGurlz’s momentum. On the contrary, the “Shark Tank effect” kicked in hard. The days and months after airing saw a burst of orders — a common story for crowd-pleasing pitches that strike a cultural chord.
In 2019, the company made perhaps its savviest move yet by teaming with Pitsco Education. Pitsco is a heavyweight in school STEM supplies. The partnership meant SmartGurlz would spin out “SmartBuddies,” an online and physical coding curriculum aimed at elementary school classrooms.
This wasn’t just “we’ll buy a few.” Pitsco committed to $5.5 million in product purchases over three years, guaranteeing a major revenue pipeline for SmartGurlz.
Around the same time, the company reached a licensing deal with Sinking Ship Entertainment, bringing characters from the PBS show “Odd Squad” into the SmartGurlz universe. This move nudged the toys into the broader world of kids’ entertainment — where the right character tie-in can drive both sales and visibility fast.
Kari Byron Joins, Bringing MythBusters Energy
If you spent any time watching science shows, you probably recognize Kari Byron from MythBusters. In 2019, SmartGurlz announced her as their new Chief Creative Officer. The news got plenty of media attention. It wasn’t just a figurehead move, either. Kari’s background in making science fun and relatable squared perfectly with the company’s mission.
She brought new ideas for stories, expanded the educational angle, and gave the toys a bit more pop culture credibility. Adding a celebrity who kids actually recognize can be a smart trust signal for parents, too.
The Growth Spurt: Revenue and Valuation Jump
Let’s talk numbers. In 2018, SmartGurlz saw $1.2 million in sales. That’s solid for a startup by any measure, especially one selling higher-priced robotics products.
Founder Sharmi Albrechtsen said that by 2021, sales were estimated to hit over $20 million. School partnerships and the classroom coding market had a lot to do with that. Instead of just reaching parents at home, SmartGurlz positioned itself as a way for schools to hit digital learning goals while engaging kids who might otherwise write off robotics and code as “not for them.”
Company valuation numbers always come with some caveats. Still, by August 2023, external estimates put SmartGurlz’s value around $9 million. That means investors and partners saw significant value in what was built, and revenue had kept up with some pretty ambitious plans.
The Warning Signs: Products Out of Stock, Quiet Social Channels
Success stories in toy tech can sometimes be brittle. As of mid-2024, things were looking quiet on SmartGurlz’s official channels. The website listed all products as “sold out.” There were no major new items; some customers even wondered if more stock was coming at all.
On social media, the company went mostly silent after 2021. For a brand that relied on energetic outreach and educator engagement, this isn’t a great signal. Some Shark Tank companies simply pivot, rebrand, or switch product lines, but often there’s a steady update stream when things are going well.
Industry newsletters and retail watchers noted the pause. No major distribution deals were announced, and attempts to contact the company about new launches turned up nothing concrete.
What Happened? The Founder’s New Focus
If you checked Sharmi Albrechtsen’s LinkedIn today, you’d see SmartGurlz still listed. But in March 2023, she launched a new venture: Simply Shroom Cafes, which centers around functional mushrooms and plant-based food. The shift seems pretty telling.
It’s not unusual for founders to move on, especially after the long grind of building and scaling a company. Still, there was no public announcement about SmartGurlz winding down or selling — just fading activity. The classic signs of a “soft close”: no new inventory, no public updates, but no big “goodbye” moment either.
Classroom Coding: Still in Demand, But Competition Is Fierce
SmartGurlz’s approach — infusing robotics with storytelling and diversity — came at the right time for schools adopting STEM in early education. But the edtech and educational toy sectors move quickly.
There’s mounting competition from giants like LEGO Education and dozens of startups attacking coding, robots, and math anxiety from every angle. Both direct-to-consumer and school sales became much tougher as pandemic-era budgets dried up and trends shifted again.
Educators loved what SmartGurlz tried to do, but standing out in today’s STEM toy crowd means endless refreshes, big budgets, and viral storytelling that doesn’t stop when sales hit a peak.
Shark Tank Aftermath: Not Every Deal Closes, But The Show Launches Brands
It’s worth pausing here. Lots of brands get major Shark Tank deals, only to have the investment fall through in due diligence or contract haggling. Sometimes, the exposure alone is enough to supercharge a business, at least for a few years.
For SmartGurlz, Shark Tank provided a springboard to partnerships and big classroom contracts that may have been out of reach otherwise. Sales after the show spiked, and name recognition shot up. Being able to slap “as seen on Shark Tank” on marketing helped open doors — even without a deal in the end.
What’s Next? A Real Look at 2024 and Beyond
This is where things stand: by mid-2024, you can’t buy a SmartGurlz doll through the website. There aren’t any major press releases, partnerships, or new school launches on the calendar. Social media pages have gone quiet, and retailers show nothing in stock.
If you look on education forums and STEM circles, you might spot some of the original doll robots in classrooms or used by coding clubs. Some stateside teachers still rave about how SmartGurlz got their quieter students engaged, even a few years after buying the kits.
Meanwhile, Sharmi is putting her energy into the food startup world. She hasn’t made any formal statements about closing SmartGurlz or what might come next, leaving a touch of uncertainty for anyone still hoping for a comeback.
You can keep an eye out for updates in the business world by checking resources like Aureo Business, which track pivots and relaunches. For now, though, this chapter seems to have ended quietly — not with a press blast but with a slow fade.
Grounded Takeaway: The Fast Fuse and Long Fizzle of a STEM Startup
SmartGurlz nailed the cultural moment. It brought tools for coding and robotics to kids who often felt excluded from science toys. There’s no denying the impact on thousands of classrooms and parents. But even with millions in revenue and high-profile hires, education hardware startups often face a hard road to staying plugged in.
If you want a lesson: the Shark Tank effect is real, and a brilliant idea can catch fire fast. But markets shift, buyer trends change, and founder passions move on. SmartGurlz had its time in the spotlight — and for a while, it helped spark change in how kids learn coding.
The robots might be off the shelves now, but the story will likely inspire more founders looking to mix learning and play, especially for audiences often left out of STEM. For now, SmartGurlz looks to be paused, maybe waiting for another big push… or simply resting after a busy run.
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