Pet Plate is THE Shark Tank dog food.
Although it has been 5 years since the dog food delivery brand was featured on the US show, it continues to carry the label. Pet Plate, which supplies fresh, healthy, real food for dogs on a subscription basis, was featured on Shark Tank in December 2016.
The company’s founder, Renaldo Webb, presented PetPlate on the show in an attempt to secure investment. Although he was not successful in achieving that goal, the publicity resulted in a flood of orders (over $50,000 worth) and the company has since gone from strength to strength.
Let’s review the episode and then see where they are now!
Pet Plate Dog Food
What does Pet Plate do?
Pet Plate is a subscription-based delivery service for all-natural, healthy pet food using quality human-grade food. At this time they only cater to our canine companions, but there is talk of expanding into cat food in the future.
In the Shark Tank episode, Pet Plate founder Ronaldo Webb states that many of the diet-related health problems plaguing Americans are also becoming more prevalent in dogs. This is resulting in more vet visits, dogs on medications, and expensive health care for dogs.
Illnesses like diabetes, allergies, and cancer in dogs can be linked to poor diet and nutrition. Many popular pet foods are highly processed, and can even contain aflatoxins and other inflammatory ingredients.
Pet Plate’s motto is ‘REAL FOOD COOKED, FRESH FOR YOUR DOG’.
PetPlate.com does away with all the bad stuff and offers a tailored nutritionally balanced diet. It’s made of high-quality ingredients, rich in the vitamins and minerals that your dog needs. You can even see exactly what is in each of the meals before you purchase – take a look for yourself here!
And that was part of Ronaldo’s pitch to the Sharks, namely that healthy fresh dog food can be an antidote to increasing cases of dog illness. Dog food that’s processed as little as possible and made with quality ingredients could be the answer.
Shark Tank Dog Food
Here’s a little more about the Pet Plate Shark Tank episode.
The founder of Pet Plate, Ronaldo Webb (and his dog Winston), appeared on the show in December 2016. Ronaldo hails from Brooklyn, New York, and was seeking $100,000 in exchange for 10% of the business.
He shared that the problem pet parents have, as we’ve already touched on, is dog nutrition and health. We all want our pets to be healthy and happy, but we can overlook the importance of food when it comes to them. Ronaldo states that Pet Plate is here to help solve that problem, making it easy for people to get the best food possible for their dogs.
One of the more memorable moments of the Shark Tank episode was the Sharks trying out the dog food themselves… because Pet Plate creates human-grade food for dogs.
Mark Cuban was the first one to try and his response was… ‘It’s good!’ After the dog food tasting, the Sharks dig into the nitty-gritty of the subscription service.
Pet Plate Shark Tank
Watch the Pet Plate Shark Tank episode in the video above, which includes an update on Pet Plate after Shark Tank.
In the episode, the Sharks ask:
- How much does Pet Plate cost?
- What are the subscription term lengths?
- How many subscribers does Pet Plate have?
- What is the geographic coverage like?
The Sharks are very impressed with Ronaldo’s background. He’s an MIT physics grad and has extensive experience in the pet food industry. He was a consultant for big pet food factories where he saw “the inferior ingredients being used in the food”.
He has also invested significant amounts of his own money into the business to get it where it is at that point with 100 subscribers. Not to mention that he has accomplished it all while basically being a one-man show!
However, the Sharks are concerned with the sustainability of the business.
They’re not sure whether there is a market for fresh pet food delivered to the door. They believe it would have taken off to a greater degree if there was.
The Sharks know how difficult the pet food industry is, and how hard it can be to scale this type of product, especially when it’s fresh and lacking toxic preservatives that prolong shelf-life.
If only they knew about the HUGE uptake of online services, including pet food delivery services, that would take place as a result of the 2020 pandemic response.
All the Sharks are out of this deal, and Ronaldo doesn’t get the investment, but that was certainly not the end of Pet Plates’ story. Also, the reason they didn’t invest wasn’t so much because of the product and service, but because they already had competing business interests, or, in Mark’s case, he’s not a pet guy.
After Shark Tank
What happened to Pet Plate after their Shark Tank feature?
The business has continued to grow over the 6 or 7 years since its appearance on the program. An official Pet Plate Shark Tank update was put out in 2022 (in the video from CNBC Prime above).
Ronaldo states that it was frustrating to walk out of the Shark Tank without a deal. However, he shares how his appearance on the show led to an influx of orders that allowed him to expand the business.
Over $50,000 in orders immediately after the show meant that production could be moved to a larger facility. They had to make over 10,000 pounds of dog food asap!
Due to the rapid growth, Ronaldo had trouble managing product quality for a time and even feared the business would fail. However, after finding the perfect facility to process the food at volume, while maintaining product quality, things really took off.
Today the business continues to grow, Pet Plate user reviews are great, and Ronaldo perseveres through the ups and downs of entrepreneurship and business. Pet Plate now has thousands of customers, supporting thousands of dogs to good health. They deliver to homes all across the US.
Ronaldo credits the Sharks saying, ‘It would have never happened without Shark Tank and the Sharks’ tough advice.’
What’s more, in February 2020, Pet Plate secured $9 million in investment in a Series A round. The round was led by DFE Capital Management and General Mills’ venture capital division. Other significant names that joined in on the round include Marco Polo, Fernbrook Capital Management LLC, and The Yard Ventures.
We’re excited to see how this funding allows Pet Plate to grow and expand. We’re sure they’re going to be helping even more dogs find health, and gain freedom from allergies and the other illnesses plaguing our pets.
Discount Coupon
Has your dog tried Pet Plate yet?
By signing up through our link, you can get 61% OFF your first order. They offer this deal for new customers only so you can test and try it with your dog to discover if it’s right for your family.
They don’t want you to continue if it’s not perfect for you and your dog, so this is a good way to do it. Make use of this Pet Plate discount deal to test out the service and become part of the Pet Plate story.
Shark Tank is definitely an exciting show, and it’s great Pet Plate was able to be featured there. One of our other favorite episodes is the Monti Kids Shark Tank episode – it’s worth checking out as well!
I really want to try one of these dog food delivery services, because i want my dog to eat healthier, but I don’t think I can afford the after trial price. Will sign up to Pet plate for 3 weeks and see what it’s like. I have a hungry German shepherd.
Yes, I haven’t tested what the price would be to feed such a large and often active breed of dog, but I imagine it’s not cheap even if you aren’t feeding them the best. After the Pet Plate trial, you could try the supplement package, rather than the full-time Pet Plate diet.
So cool, I didn’t realize pet plate had been featured on shark tank. I just heard about them online recently so it was fun to learn more. Thanks!
No problem! For those who watch Shark Tank regularly, Pet Plate’s appearance was quite a memorable one. Winston the dog = Chief Tasting Officer 😂
I am soooo happy for Ronaldo’s success!!! His presentation was so well-done and I thought he should have had a deal. I was heartbroken to see him so sad. I shared my sadness on fb and received his successful update. Congratulations to Ronaldo and Winston! I will pass along your info on FB and wish you the best of luck on your future!!!!
Thanks Shelly!
Did you have a veterinary nutritionist come up with menus? I want my dog to get everything he needs and nothing bad..
Hi Krassie, yes a vet nutritionist came up with the dog meal recipes, and the meals are intended to be a complete and balanced diet. You can read more about that in our Pet Plate review here.
Watched the episode, thanks. It’s a shame he didn’t get investment through the show but understand why the sharks were concerned about competition. There does seem to be a lot of these businesses out there now.
Yes – though I think there were far fewer in 2015 when the show first aired. We have a round-up of other dog meal delivery companies so totally know what you’re talking about! Whatever you want for your dog is available to be delivered to the door. Pet Plate is definitely one of the front runners though which we think is pretty cool!
I started back watching Shark Tank and just saw your episode I believed you had made it and Goggled your company and saw what I believed. May God continue to bless you and your family because it was Your Faith that bought you through. Remember when Mark said your gonna crush it. You Did.
This is not a Pet Plate website, but a great message for Ronaldo. Thanks Darlene!
I was signing up for it for my dog, and got distracted had to redo it and now the price is almost three dollars more just that quick. Before check out I decided to go with the full plan originally I had the plan two days ago at 6 dollars and change today it was 8.67 per day and now it went up to 1097 before I checked out. Why is it that your prices change everyday and within hours of each other??
Is Winston a Tibetan Terrier?
I ordered your food a long time ago. Rue is a VERY fussy eater and does not want the same food often. I finally used the last of your delivery and so would like another batch of the beef, but i cannot subscribe as it just takes a very long time for her to consume what comes in one order.
Can you help me?
Hey Camille, we’re not actually Pet Plate – we just wrote an article on them! Head on over to their website here and you’ll be able to easily get in touch with support. Thanks!
I’ve been using pet plate for years now. Always been really happy with it and my dog loves it. I just love not having to think about what to feed him.
Does Pet Plate sell fresh human grade cat food? And if not now, will they in the future?
Not at this stage, but there is talk of it. Right now they are ‘only serving our canine companion’.
Hi do you deliver to Toronto, Canada?
Only to the US at this stage!
My Dogs LOVE Petplate. So glad to see this company thriving, great product.
I just watched the episode on Shark Tank. Previously to watching, I saw an ad with Shark Tank mentioned. Imagine my surprise when you didn’t get “A Shark”. Congrats on your success. I will look into the product and discuss with my vet as well as review costs.