What Happened To BrandYourself From Shark Tank Season 6?

Whether you're applying to a new job or trying to get into college, recruiters are probably checking your social media accounts before considering you. Season six of "Shark Tank" (2015) would see the introduction of BrandYourself, a platform that aims to give everyday users a more accessible and effective way to control their online image. 

Ambron began BrandYourself in 2009 alongside co-founder Pete Kistler. While attending Syracuse University, Kistler struggled to find internships at the time as it just so happened that a criminal in the same area shared his name, which is what came up when employers searched him up. After failing to find any affordable online reputation management services, Kistler partnered with fellow Syracuse student Ambron, who used his know-how SEO optimization to create a program that would aid in Kistler's dilemma and eventually lead into a booming business. The company saw high retention rates, exponentially increasing revenue, and accolades such as being part of Inc. Magazine's 35 under 35 Coolest Entrepreneurs and the White House Impact 100

Patrick Ambron entered the tank with the hopes of receiving a $2 million investment for 13.5% of BrandYourself. The company has a free version, a $100 annual premium, and a high-end concierge service that charges $5,000 for a first-year contract. Growth was impressive to say the least, with 300,000 free users, over 5,000 paid subscribers, and $2.2 million in sales with another $500,000 in booked contracts since March 2012.  

Kevin O'Leary wondered what set Ambron's business apart, considering his past experience using more expensive competitors yielding uneven results. Ambron tried convincing O'Leary that BrandYourself's viability was due to its stellar service and lower price. This did little to impress the opinionated investor. He was followed by Daymond John who, despite admitting that Ambron's $15 million valuation as impressive, was not knowledgable enough of the space to feel comfortable investing such an amount. 

Ambron shared that the team had been aiming to raise $5 million, with $3 million already closed from a past funding round at the same valuation. His intent was to receive the other $2 million from the sharks and wanted to stay true to the valuation. Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner weren't convinced, however, and exited the deal. Robert Herjavec believed that the business had legs to stand on, but altered the valuation to $2 million for 25% equity. At the end, Ambron turned down the deal.

Turning down a $2 million deal was a gutsy move to say the least. And even though BrandYourself entrepreneur Patrick Ambron felt confident in his decision at the end of his "Shark Tank" appearance, he later admitted to regretting the move. When asked by an investor on a 2018 episode of the British reality show "Dragon's Den" –  which "Shark Tank" acts as an American sister program to — about his feelings turning down Robert Herjavec's offer, Ambron answered, "In retrospect, I didn't know that there was extra value in having a shark than there was the money. We need to make sure we learn from that mistake, I don't want to be seen as someone who goes on a show like this and does the same thing ... "

Regardless of his later feelings on the matter, BrandYourself still found success following its "Shark Tank" segment airing on March 20, 2015. The team saw a noticeable boost in website traffic, phone calls, and sales. To further aid in getting newcomers to become loyal users, the website was given a fresh new design and site visitors were given a 10% promo code. The company would continue to raise additional funds, including getting $2 million in 2016 as an extension of Series A funding as well as receiving £100,000 from investor Peter Jones on the aforementioned "Dragon's Den" episode. 

As of this writing, BrandYourself remains in operation. However, it would see a major change in 2022 when the digital financial platform Array acquired BrandYourself for an undisclosed amount. Thankfully, it doesn't seem like BrandYourself's mission to empower the online profiles of individuals and businesses alike has been altered in the slightest.

A visit to BrandYourself's website reveals a wide array of offerings depending on your specific situation — from those simply curious as to what their online reputation is like to people who have been hacked. Its variety of services have expanded far beyond simply analyzing your online reputation, with options for individuals such as the ability to detect if your information has been compromised by hackers, a social media clean up tool, and a personal information data protector. Businesses have their own special selection of tools to help boost positive results in online searches, including review management services and a tool that helps get rid of negative Google results. 

Users can sign up on the BrandYourself site and get a free scan after sending in their information. From there, customers can schedule a consultation call before paying for the respective service. BrandYourself has been featured in outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, PC World, Entrepreneur, CBS News, USA Today, Forbes, TechCrunch, and the Huffington Post to name a few. 

BrandYourself may not have had the success story of other "Shark Tank" brands such as Larq or PolarPro, but Patrick Ambron deserves plenty of props for his handling of BrandYourself. For a business that was featured on Inc. Magazine's 35 under 35 list, earned millions in revenue, and appeared on both "Shark Tank" and "Dragon's Den," Ambron has maintained level-headed self awareness throughout his time as CEO. We've seen plenty of "Shark Tank" contestants turn down lucrative offers, but Ambron admitting that the shortsighted nature of his actions is an act of humility rarely seen from a "Tank" alum.

In 2019, Ambron founded another software solution with HelloPrivacy, which aids in privacy and the protection of personal data online. It, alongside BrandYoursef, was also acquired by Array in 2022. Ambron has been working for Array since 2022, most recently holding a position as SVP of Enterprise Business Development, which sees him aid Array in partnerships with companies across various industries. BrandYourself co-founder Pete Kistler walked away from the business completely following its acquisition and has since gone on to work in product management at companies such as Forbes and Google.

As for BrandYourself, while not much new has been announced by the company itself regarding specific future plans, many predict that its smart search and online reputation tools remain in use. As reliance on social media to build personal and professional brands has increased since its "Shark Tank" appearance, there's no doubt that BrandYourself will continue finding new ways to innovate and move forward.