Ever visited a dinosaur park? Ever seen the huge robotic dinosaurs that look extremely original?
Well, Dino Don is the manufacturer of such dinosaurs. Dino Don is a company that makes life-sized, robotic dinosaurs.
Dino Don manufactures and provides these robots to dinosaur parks, zoos, museums, and aquariums all over the world. Dino Don made the first sale of a life-sized dinosaur to Bronx Zoo.
In 2020, Dino Don made a sale of $5 million. Dino Don broke its record and made a sale of a total of $15 million in the year 2021.
Dino Don has a shop in Medina, PA. The craze for dinosaur parks is increasing greatly and hence, Dino Don would make more sales shortly.
Dino Don at a Glance:-
| Idea | Robotics dinosaurs business |
| Founders | Lessem and Val Jones |
| Asked For | $500,000 for 10% equity |
| Accepted Deal | $500,000 for 25% equity |
| Sharks | Mark Cuban |
| Business status | In Business |
| Episode No. | Season 13, Episode 22 |
Index:
Who are the founders of Dino Don?
 Husband and wife Lessem and Val Jones are the founders of Dino Don. Lessem was given the nickname Dino Don by his friends as he has always been obsessed with dinosaurs.
He started doing a dinosaur traveling road show in 1993 and that marked the beginning of his business. He went to Zigong, China to make his very first model of a robotic dinosaur. He performed as a consultant on Jurassic Park movies and also educated many people about dinosaurs around the world.
Initially, Lessem invited 20 zoo directors to an exhibit that he organized himself. 10 of those attended and 8 out of the 10 placed orders for dinosaurs. He has since expanded his business and become popular as the Dino Don. He needed the help of a shark to finance the inventory to manufacture more dinosaurs.
Did Dino Don get a deal on the Shark Tank?
Dino Don and Val a husband-wife duo came on the shark tank seeking an investment of $500,000 for a 10% stake in their business. Val shared Don’s story.
They brought a moving dinosaur on the shark tank which demonstrated the business concept by roaring on the stage.
All the sharks were amazed by this unique idea brought on by the shark tank. Duo shared that they are the biggest distributors of robotics dinosaurs in the USA.
Dino shared that they did sales of $1.6 million in 2019, the number increased to $1.8 million in 2020, and they also forecasted to achieve $3 million in sales by 2021.
Kevin O’Leary found it risky business and therefore he went out. Daymond John said he wouldn’t be able to add any value to this business so, he’s out. Lori Greiner loved the idea but was not clear about the future scale of the business and went out.
Mark Cuban loved the whole idea of robotics dinosaurs and gave an offer of $500,000 for 25% equity in the business. Robert Herjavec said Mark’s offer is far better than his and therefore he went out.
Only one deal was left in front of Dino Don and he accepted the deal after a moment of discussion with his wife.
What happened to Dino Don after the Shark Tank Show?
On the show, Dino Don gets a deal from Mark Cuban. But, As of July 2021, the deal was not closed after the show. In October 2021, Mark Cuban officially announced and listed Dino Don on his business list.
Before the show, they did sales of $1.8 million, On the show, they predicted to touch $3 million by 2021. As of January 2022, reports say that they sold products worth $4 million in 2021.
In February 2021, they signed a contract of doing 50 shows by using their robotic dinosaurs with the Bishop Museum of Science in Florida. Shows will be done across the country which will automatically market the brand.
During the pitch, they came up with a valuation of $5 million which was later updated to $2 million by Mark Cuban. The valuation was again raised after the show.
Dino Don’s founder had also made a documentary film named ‘The Dinosaur Factory’ a few months back.
After the show, they again came back to the shark tank and shared their journey of moving from 150 to 400 Robotics stores. Mark Cuban is the real jam behind Dino Don as his trust and money made it possible for Don.
They are now available in five different countries including Belgium, Germany, England, Finance and Finland. Staff members are also increased from 4 to 25 employees distributed in five countries.
Before the show, they used had annual revenue of $1.8 million which increased to $4.2 million after the show.
Mark Cuban was planning to make a theme park like Jurassic Park in March 2022, but unfortunately, the plan get canceled later. Currently, they are doing great under Mark Cuban and Don.
Competitors of Dino Don are:-
- ROBEX
- Aerotek
- American Dog
What is the net worth of Dino Don?
The estimated net worth of Dino Don is $4.2 million. The valuation they asked on the show was $5 million which was brought down to $2 million. As of 2022, the Valuation has doubled.
Is Dino Don still in business?
Dino Don is still in business and they are doing great. They have grown in 5 different countries with more than 25 staff members.
Dino Don presently has 60 Dinosaurs among them and had also signed a contract with the Bishop Museum of Science. BizzBucket wishes them to have more dinosaurs and success across the globe.
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FAQs:
What is Dino Don?
Dino Don manufactures and provides these robots to dinosaur parks, zoos, museums, and aquariums all over the world. Dino Don made the first sale of a life-sized dinosaur to Bronx Zoo.
What's the net worth of Dino Don?
The estimated net worth of Dino Don is $4.2 million. The valuation they asked on the show was $5 million which was brought down to $2 million. As of 2022, the Valuation has doubled.