What Happened To G.O.A.T. Bluetooth Pet Speaker From Shark Tank Season 9?

With more than 340 episodes of ABC's reality hit "Shark Tank" having already made it to the airwaves, it's safe to say the series' regular cast of would-be investors has seen a little bit of everything from the hopeful entrepreneurs who enter the studio every week. While the Sharks have been pitched their share of educational apps, tech gadgets, and home security devices over the years, products designed for pets and pet owners have also been featured on the regular during the series' prime-time tenure. 

If you're a regular "Shark Tank" viewer, you might know those products can sometimes be a tough sell, no matter how hard the entrepreneur behind them works their pitch. That was just the case for Michelle Winowich, who actually made her way into the "Shark Tank" sound stage donned in a Snow White costume to pitch her G.O.A.T. Bluetooth pet speaker during a Season 9 episode.  

As any "Shark Tank" fan can attest, costumes and props — like those utilized in Season 13's Tenikle tripod pitch — can be quite effective in tempting panelists like Kevin O'Leary, Lori Greiner, and outgoing shark Mark Cuban to engage. However, good theater will only get you so far when dollars and cents are on the line, and Winowich quickly learned as much when she was trying to convince one of the sharks to bite on her proposal. Here's what happened to the G.O.A.T. pet speaker after Winowich's "Shark Tank" appearance. 

As noted, Michelle Winowich certainly caught the attention of the "Shark Tank" panelists when she entered the studio in full Disney princess regalia. The Sharks are initially entertained with her schtick, though Daymond John can't help but make a quippy comment about Winowich's mental state after her opening pitch. Though visibly annoyed by the comment, the G.O.A.T. Pet Products founder brushes it off, and proceeds to outline the details behind her company's latest product, a Bluetooth enable speaker that purports to make it possible for your pets to talk to you.

Of course, they can't actually make your pet talk, with the G.O.A.T. speakers merely allowing owners to record messages that they might like to hear their beloved fur babies say. Nonetheless, it's a clever little gadget that also allows users to play their favorite tunes, as well as take and share photos with relative ease. To make the speaker more enticing, Winowich has encased the multi-faceted device in adorable little animal head shells fit with collar clips. Boasting impressive sales and an order over $2 million from PetSmart, Winowich's ask was not exactly on the small side, offering 9% of her company in exchange for a $499,000 investment.

Cuban is the first to flinch at the ask, admitting he doesn't understand the pet market enough to throw half-a-million bucks Winowich's way, particularly after she notes that 50% of G.O.A.T. is already owned by another investor. Daymond John, Kevin O'Leary, and Lori Greiner also pass, with each questioning the $5 million valuation and the speaker's long-term sales potential. However, animal-lover Robert Herjavec shows interest, offering the $499,000 in exchange for 33.3% of G.O.A.T., a deal Winowich ultimately takes.  

In the end, it was the combination of the already impressive G.O.A.T. pet speaker sales and the potentially lucrative PetSmart deal that hooked Robert Herjavec. While Michelle Winowich no doubt gave up more of her company than she wanted to in closing her "Shark Tank" deal, Herjavec was not interested in negotiating. Despite the sizable give in G.O.A.T. equity, Winowich exits the studio dancing, happy to have the funding necessary to ramp up production on her speakers. 

It is unclear, however, if the deal Herjavec struck with the G.O.A.T. Pet Products founder on "Shark Tank" ever actually closed. In fact, a few months after Winowich taped her "Shark Tank" episode, she appeared on the morning show of a local Detroit ABC affiliate, and confirmed that they were still hammering out the particulars of that deal. Whether or not G.O.A.T. ever received the $499,000 investment from Herjavec, Winowich's brand no doubt benefited from the prime-time exposure. Likewise, Winowich seized on her time in the spotlight, using it to help build out and promote the G.O.A.T. Pet Products brand.

In particular, Winowich was hot to showcase G.O.A.T.'s Milk Dog Treats in subsequent promotional experiences, highlighting that the Gluten-free products were handmade by disabled workers in Wisconsin's Eisenhower Center. As the proverbial "Shark Tank Bump" helped elevate the G.O.A.T. brand in the pet supply market, its products were soon selling through online retailers like Amazon. It would appear, however, that Winowich wasn't able to keep the good times going, with G.O.A.T. essentially disappearing from the pet supplies market in the past couple of years.

As of this writing, the products are no longer available for purchase directly from G.O.A.T., though a third-party Amazon seller is still offering the speakers at a discounted price of $14.99, as is Walmart. Perhaps more telling of G.O.A.T.'s current state of operational affairs is that its social media presence has been non-existent for some time now, with the last product-oriented posts on Facebook and X, formerly known as Twitter, coming in 2021 and 2019 respectively.

With G.O.A.T. going quiet on social media, and now only being sold online at a deeply discounted price (Winowich states they were retailing for $24.99 during her 2018 pitch), it's safe to assume that the company is no longer in business. That fact is seemingly backed up by Winowich's LinkedIn page, which states that her time leading G.O.A.T. ended in August 2022, after a nearly six year run at the helm. With G.O.A.T. apparently defunct, it was back to the grind for Winowich, who continued to work in the pet supply arena, claiming the job of Vice President of U.S. Sales with Finland-based PAIKKA the same month she shuttered G.O.A.T. However, Winowich didn't hold that title very long, ending her time with PAIKKA in December 2022. 

In early 2023, Winowich accepted the role of Business Development Manager Consulting with Shell Oil, serving in that position until July 2024. At present, Winowich's LinkedIn status is set to "Open for Work," with the "Shark Tank" alum actively searching for her next business venture.