Kriti Mehrotra
ABC’s ‘Shark Tank’ is a business-oriented reality series wherein budding entrepreneurs pitch their innovative ideas and products to a panel of industry tycoons known as Sharks. The Sharks are the ones who then decide whether the business is feasible enough for them to invest their time and money into or not. But it is the ensuing negotiations and discussions that make the whole ride worth watching. One such product to be featured in season 12 of the series is Chill Systems. So, if you’re curious to know more about them and how they’re faring today, we’ve got you covered.
Chill Systems: Who Are They and What Do They Do?
College friends Chase Mitchell and Brian Bloch have made it no secret that they love ‘Shark Tank’ and have watched the show since its inception. Being aspiring entrepreneurs themselves, they talked about countless startup ideas while cheering on the lucky ones who appeared before the Sharks. The professional experiences of the USC graduates just made them more determined to reach the same spot one day.
Chase once worked as a sales associate at Google, while Brian has held various finance positions, including at Apple Finance. Now, the latter owns Elbay Endeavors, a consulting firm that primarily works with startups. Chase and Brian’s eureka moment happened at a bluegrass festival in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park in 2016. The entire area was muddy from recent rains, and they saw just how much trouble people were going through to keep their drinks cold and fresh.
When Chase and Brian saw the people dragging heavy coolers to avoiding stepping far away, they had the idea of creating the first compact and portable chiller that would eliminate not only last-minute ice trips but also save space. Thus, in 2018, after spending two years focusing all their free time on designing and building prototypes, they left their full-time jobs and established Chill Systems.
Chill Systems: Where Are They Now?
Things got started for CEO Chase and CFO Brian when their Kickstarter campaign raised $53,172, enabling them to explore their untapped skills and creative talents. The chillers they’ve created are comparable to the size of a football. Despite the compact size, they are durable and can hold all types of beverages, including beer, wine, soda, coffee, kombucha, etc. The lightweight chillers are made up of recycled materials with a unique freezing gel inside its walls and an insulating exterior wrap. All you have to do is freeze it overnight, then load up your beverages and head off to where you want to go.
Currently, according to the Chill Systems website, the product promises a 20-degree temperature drop in the first hour with a cooling capacity of up to six hours. In other words, within these six hours, you can switch your drinks to ensure that every single one of them remains cold. When used with the insulated Adventure Pack or Picnic Tote, the chiller stays cold for up to 24 hours. The Adventure Pack is a small backpack that can carry six cans or two wine bottles plus the chiller, whereas the Picnic Tote can hold twelve cans or four wine bottles plus the chiller. The Tote also has sections for food and your daily items.
The chillers are available in various colors and designs with a carrying strap on each one, making them easy to use. A standard chiller costs anywhere between $49.95 and $59.95, depending on the pattern you pick. But the combo deal, including the chiller and the packs, is more expensive, costing $99.95. You can find the Chill Systems product on their website and Amazon, although they also deal in wholesale for promotional purposes. We should mention that Chill Systems supports Water.org, a nonprofit organization that provides access to safe water and sanitation to millions worldwide.
Read More: Update on Tandem Boogie From Shark Tank
