Two locals strike $100,000 deal with Mark Cuban on ‘Shark Tank’

POINT PLEASANT/BRICK TOWNSHIP — David Restiano of Brick Township and Daniel Staats of Point Pleasant made the deal of a lifetime as they brought their company SORx to the Sharks of the popular ABC show “Shark Tank,” striking a deal with Mark Cuban.

Mr. Restiano, the CEO and co-founder of SORx, said the company began with a foundational product known as SORx Soap. He described it as a “revolutionary, muscle-scraping device made from all-natural, ultra-hard, hand-stamped soap.”

Mr. Restiano is an athlete and graphic designer. According to SORx’s website, “In the founding and growth of SORx, all of his passions have come together in a unique and rewarding way. He truly enjoys helping others feel better and do more of what they love.”

Mr. Staats, president and co-founder of SORx, handles the clinical side of the company. Mr. Staats owns and operates an outpatient physical therapy clinic in Brick that specializes in orthopedic musculoskeletal dysfunction. He is also an adjunct professor at Rutgers University, Kean University and Stockton University.

The episode aired last Friday, and showcased the local duo pitching their therapeutic soap to the Sharks. All the Sharks tested out the product, many of them having good things to say about how the soap smells and how it felt while using it. However, out of the five Sharks, four of them backed out on the deal, except for Mr. Cuban, who offered them $100,000 for 20% of the company.

Mr. Restiano said, especially seeing the Sharks begin to dip out, “I was nervous, but I was nervous from the day we found out we could possibly be on the show.”

The duo initially were looking for $100,000 for 10%. After hearing Mr. Cuban’s offer, the duo conversed, and Mr. Staats countered with $100,000 for 15% and free physical therapy consultations, which was met with laughs from the Sharks.

Mr. Cuban, respectfully declined and reiterated his original offer, which Mr. Restiano and Mr. Staats accepted.

“When we got in front of the Sharks, I put it all behind me and focus on the words that I rehearsed and the words I felt confident in,” said Mr. Restiano. “My mom told me a long time ago to tell the truth, and you will never have to worry about what story you told; that was my approach the whole time.”

Mr. Staats said, “When the four went out, I was like, ‘are you kidding me?’ We had come so far, this is what we were waiting for. I thought this was it.”

His mind was put at ease by Mr. Restiano, and he “saw it in Mark (Cuban’s) eyes” that he was going to make them a deal.

Mr. Staats said, “They kept us in this little trailer and we were just waiting all day, like four or five hours, we were just waiting on the knock at the door for our time. So we were in there rehearsing our pitch over and over.”

In summer of last year, Mr. Restiano and Mr. Staats had the opportunity last year to fly out to California to pitch their budding business of SORx Soap to the Sharks.

“It was a great experience. Those Sharks are business people. They are out to make money. They are out to get good deals. That’s their job on the show but they are just terrific people,” said Mr. Restiano. “The show is amazing, the people are amazing, the process was amazing… It is still surreal and it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that we are so happy to be a part of.”

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