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From A Contestant To A Judge On Shark Tank, The Journey Of Ring Founder Jamie Siminoff

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From A Contestant To A Judge On Shark Tank, The Journey Of Ring Founder Jamie Siminoff

Shark Tank is an American reality show where hopeful entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to a panel of investors.  It is a great show from which entrepreneurs can learn a great deal about how to secure investments for their venture.  The reality show is based on a concept where aspiring entrepreneurs present their business ideas to a panel of investors and convince them to invest in their startups.  Ventures like Tipsy Elves, Simple Sugars, Scrub Daddy and Bombas are some of the successful companies which benefited from Shark Tank.  However, Jamie Smininoff and his company Ring takes the crown for the best ever Shark Tank product even though Jamie Siminoff could not secure an investment from any of the sharks.  Jamie Siminoff and his company Ring have ever since grown by leaps and bounds so much so that Ring was acquired by Amazon for one billion dollars.

Backstory

Jamie Siminoff founded Ring, a startup which is a Wi-Fi enabled video doorbell company, from his garage.  While spending long hours in his work space, he became frustrated that he was unable to answer the doorbell without being interrupted.  Siminoff began looking for a doorbell that rang to his phone and was surprised to find that there was nothing like it on the market.  It was then Jamie began working on his idea to make a product which will enable a homeowner to see who is at their door on their cell phone.  Jamie was rejected by more than 200 investors when he pitched his idea for Door Bot as Ring was then used to be called before being rebranded.  By the time Jamie decided to go to Shark Tank, he had zero dollars in his bank account and everything was riding on his pitch to the Sharks.

In 2013, an acquaintance gave the email id of a Shark Tank producer to Jamie and he eventually decided to send a cold email without any hope for a response.  However, the response did come, Siminoff and the DoorBot went through a legal review, then were vetted thoroughly by the producers of the show.  They then went to filming, but Siminoff was told not to get his hopes up because only a small percentage of the products actually make it on the air. DoorBot, however, made the cut.

But, none of the Sharks invested in Jamie’s idea and talking about the incident Jamie said “I was convinced going on that I was going to get Mark Cuban to invest. and he was just like, “Jamie, it’s great, but I’m out.” And I was like, “Oh.” And then it kind of went down the line and everyone went out, and I went back to my garage broke and broken.  It was a tough day (sic.)”

ALSO READ: Lessons Every Entrepreneur Can Learn From Shark Tank

Way Forward

However Jamie Siminoff’s appearance on Shark Tank worked wonders in terms of brand visibility and advertising.  Jamie said “The credibility and the awareness that Shark Tank brought was probably worth $10 million of ads.  It really launched us (sic.)”  Jamie’s first break came when a Ring owner visited billionaire Richard Branson’s private island.  Branson watched, with fascination, when the guest remotely talked to a delivery person standing at his doorstep at home through Siminoff’s doorbell.  Branson got on a call with Siminoff and invested an undisclosed amount of money.  However, Ring’s biggest boost came in the form of Basketball star Shaquille O’Neal who moved to a new house in Atlanta.  Shaq was looking for a big security company but upon being overcharged he looked on Best Buy and ended up stumbling on Ring.  A few years later Shaq formally met with Jamie Siminoff at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and after some discussion ended up being the spokesperson for Ring.  Since then, Ring has cornered the doorbell market in America.  Shaq and Jamie used to go around to personally install Ring devices and it made a huge splash in the news.

But Jamie Siminoff’s crowning achievement arrived in February 2018 when Amazon announced the purchase of Ring for one billion dollars which was a shock for many investors including the Shark Tank Judges who declined to invest in Door Bot.  Siminoff said he sold to Amazon because it was a good fit for all involved, as backing by the tech giant means that Ring can further its mission of creating safer neighborhoods.

In what can be called a full circle, Jamie was once again invited to be a part of Shark Tank but this time as a guest Shark.  Talking about the experience Jamie said “Yeah, and it’s a funny thing, because I am now a shark on Shark Tank, and I was on both sides, and so I feel the empathy for peoples’ businesses, but at the same time, I’m also a real investor there, and it’s my money, so from the numbers side, if I’m going to invest $800,000, or whatever, in a business, that’s real money, and so I need to see what is really going on with the business (sic.)” 

“Overall, this is a full-circle moment (sic,)” Siminoff said.  “I now get the opportunity to give back to the very platform that allowed me to achieve my American dream (sic.)”

Despite Amazon owning Ring, Jamie still continues to steer the company until his vision for safe neighbourhoods is fulfilled.  This is the story of Jamie Siminoff who has against all odds achieved his American Dream and will inspire new entrepreneurs to never give up on their ideas.

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1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. cuenta abierta en Binance

    March 20, 2025 at 12:11 pm

    Thanks for sharing. I read many of your blog posts, cool, your blog is very good.

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PixelSky Capital Unveils INR 400 Crore Secondaries Fund

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Bengaluru-based investment bank IndigoEdge, in partnership with entrepreneur Hitesh Ahuja, has launched PixelSky Capital, a secondaries fund targeting INR 400 crore. The fund will invest in eight late-stage tech and consumer companies expected to go public within three to four years, with cheque sizes of INR 40–50 crore each. PixelSky has already invested in beauty retailer Purplle and aims to close a second deal by June 2025.

 

The fund focuses on secondary transactions, allowing existing shareholders to sell stakes to new investors, providing liquidity ahead of IPOs. Founders have committed INR 10–15 crore, with additional capital coming from domestic family offices and startup founders. Final close is expected by March 2026.

 

Led by Hitesh Ahuja, who sold his foodtech startup Yumlane in 2023, and IndigoEdge cofounder Zerin Rahiman, PixelSky marks IndigoEdge’s expansion from advisory and proprietary investments into fund management. The firm has facilitated over 150 transactions worth around $3 billion and invested INR 25–30 crore as a limited partner in multiple VC funds. PixelSky is currently evaluating about 20 companies before finalizing its portfolio

 

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Meta’s Upcoming AR Glasses: A Sneak Peek

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Meta is developing its first true AR glasses, set to launch in 2027. Before the public release, employees will test the device starting in 2024. The company is also releasing new generations of Ray-Ban smart glasses in 2023 and 2025 with enhanced features like a “viewfinder” display.

Specifications and Features

The AR glasses are expected to feature OLED displays and Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets, offering sophisticated AR and AI capabilities. They will enable users to interact with virtual objects and project high-quality holograms of avatars onto the real world.

Design and Competition

Meta aims for a sleek design, potentially building on its Ray-Ban partnerships. The AR glasses market is competitive, with Apple and Google also investing heavily. Meta seeks to make its AR glasses a game-changer by offering a unique user experience.

Future Plans

In addition to AR glasses, Meta is expanding its VR offerings with new headsets like the Quest 3 and exploring other wearable technologies. The company is focused on reducing costs to make the AR glasses more consumer-friendly by launch.

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From Digital Wallet to Stock Market: MobiKwik Expands Its Horizons with New Brokerage Venture

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From Digital Wallet to Stock Market: MobiKwik Expands Its Horizons with New Brokerage Venture

MobiKwik is venturing into the stock broking sector with the launch of its subsidiary, MobiKwik Securities Broking Private Limited (MSBPL), following approval from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs on March 3, 2025. This move aims to diversify MobiKwik’s offerings beyond its core digital payments services and compete with established players like Zerodha and Groww.

MSBPL will provide a range of brokerage services, including trading in shares, securities, commodities, and derivatives. The subsidiary has an initial capital of Rs 1 lakh, with plans for an additional Rs 2 crore investment to support its operations.

As MobiKwik enters this competitive market, it brings a substantial user base of 172 million and a merchant network of 5 million. Despite recent financial challenges, including a reported loss of Rs 55.2 crore in Q3 FY25, the company aims to leverage its existing infrastructure and user engagement to capture a share of the growing investment technology market, projected to reach $74 billion by 2030.

This strategic expansion aligns with MobiKwik’s broader goals of enhancing its financial service

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