What Happened To Kawaii Lighting From Shark Tank Season 13?

Those of you who watched season 13 of "Shark Tank" might remember Kawaii Lighting: a company that designs and sells unique ring lights. Several companies have been trying to capitalize on the popularity of these specialized photography lights. IKEA has added them to its range of gaming products and Elgato even made one that has built-in WiFi controls, but Kawaii Lighting's design is a bit more innovative. The company actually modifies the shape of the light itself.

One of the more distinctive features of ring lights is their circular design, which refracts off the irises of the people who use them, creating a halo effect around the pupil. The ones designed by Kawaii Lighting founders Chloe Mae and Lan Bui aren't perfect circles though. These personal photography lights have cute, distinctive shapes that cast unique reflections in the eyes of those who used them, an effect they refer to as "Kawaii Eyes." They showcased star, heart, and cat-shaped lights during their pitch along with photos that illustrated how these lights would reflect in the eyes of their users.

After a quick debate with Kevin O'Leary, Barbara Corcoran secured a deal with Mae and Bui by offering them a $100,000 investment in exchange for 22% ownership and a $5 per unit royalty until she recouped her investment. The story doesn't end there though. It turns out that the exposure has done wonders for the company, and now more and more people are starting to take notice.

After the company's initial mainstream exposure on "Shark Tank," Kawaii Lighting's products have made appearances on several other television shows as well. You might have seen these adorable lights on "The World According to Jeff Goldblum," "Collab Crib Fayetteville," "A Little Late with Lilly Singh," and an episode of "The New Your Times Presents" titled, "Who Gets to Be an Influencer?"

Several celebrities and influencers seem to be quite taken with them as well. Paris Hilton and Cardi B have both shared videos on their Instagram accounts featuring the designer ring lights. This is all excellent exposure for a small company looking to grow and has no doubt contributed to Kawaii Lighting's expanding presence in the public eye. Getting seen in this manner is particularly good for the brand since its designs are so visually distinctive that anyone who sees them will be able to easily distinguish them from competing brands.

Kawaii Lighting isn't just used by popstars and network television though, it also seems that the company's products have managed to garner some popularity on TikTok. Some of the videos about the lights have gone viral, receiving hundreds of thousands of views on the platform. The Kawaii lights have also become star products in 'best streamer gear' lists from publications like Engadget and BuzzFeed.

Enough about publicity though. Let's talk raw numbers. Bui and Mae claimed during their episode of "Shark Tank" that the company had sold $261,000 to date, after opening one year before. It's clear that the company was already doing quite well. Breaking a quarter of a million dollars in sales within the first year is certainly nothing to sniff at, but many of you might be wondering just how much the company has grown now that it's had a bit of time in the spotlight. Spoiler alert: it's a lot.

According to a report from SharkTankTalks that was released in April 2023, "Kawaii Lighting's current worth is estimated at $1 million." That means that the company experienced at least 4x the net profit in the following nine months than its total sales for the previous year. There are no guarantees in business, but such exponential growth in such a brief amount of time seems to indicate that Kawaii isn't going to be turning the lights off any time soon.