What Happened To The SnagaStool App From Shark Tank Season 6?

Although many people look forward to going to their local bar at the end of a long week to enjoy a drink and a televised sporting event, plenty of others find themselves in the unfortunate situation of entering an already packed venue with no good place to sit. Jamie Manning and Dean Whitney went on "Shark Tank" to seek funding for their app SnagaStool, which allows patrons to reserve a bar seat ahead of time. However, the pair were unable to snag a shark with their pitch.

Manning and Whitney appeared during Season 6 of the show, the same season as other noteworthy app pitches such as the EmergenSee personal security app and HoneyFund, a fundraising app. Manning and Whitney described their app as a potential boon to bars, allowing them to entice customers by filling seats during off-peak hours. But with little proof of the concept's viability and an inability to communicate its value, the duo left the tank empty-handed. 

Manning founded SnagaStool alongside Adriano Varassin, who does not appear in the "Shark Tank" segment. After looking high and low for a bar with available seats to watch an important game in the summer of 2013, Manning and a friend eventually paid someone $20 for their seats. Wondering if this was a recurring issue for others, they sent out a survey to 500 individuals and found that four out of five respondents had left bars due to the absence of available seating. Almost three out of four stated that they'd be willing to pay to reserve a stool beforehand. From there, the two began work on their app, with Whitney later joining as a user interface advisor. 

Manning and Whitney appeared on "Shark Tank" hoping to receive a $120,000 investment for an 18% equity stake in SnagaStool. The Suffolk University graduates demonstrated how the app allowed users to select a bar, then reserve seating. The sharks began questioning the concept, doubting why customers would want to reserve a seat during hours of lower activity and why a bar would have difficulty filling seats during busier times. Manning answered that bars can offer free incentives like free drinks and appetizers during off-peak hours to patrons using the app.

Kevin O'Leary shared his love of Boston's Grill 23 and wanted to know if he could reserve a seat 15 minutes before the start of a game. The duo informed him that it would depend on the location's seat inventory, as the bar was in control of which seats are available for reservation. At this point, the business was still largely in the proof of concept phase, with only three local bars using the service and no revenue being generated. Patrons paid by the seat or by the hour, depending on the bar's choice.

Despite the unique idea, the sharks failed to go for the bait. Mark Cuban and Robert Herjavec failed to see any inherent value that the service offered, while Lori Greiner and Kevin O'Leary believed that the business was in too early a stage to justify an investment.

Despite not getting what they intended out of "Shark Tank," the SnagaStool team felt their time on the show made for a worthwhile experience. Speaking with Heavy in August 2015, co-founder Jamie Manning shared, "One thing I really appreciate about the Sharks is their candid feedback. They don't sugarcoat anything. I agreed with their feedback and much of it we learned during our testing period."

SnagaStool made its "Shark Tank" appearance on April 24, 2015, although the episode itself was filmed in September 2014. During that time, the team took the sharks' critiques to heart and began making changes to their service. This included allowing users to book tables, booths, and patio space along with bar stools, reworking their revenue system, and partnering with more charities, organizations, and businesses. 

They even began talks with Kevin O'Leary's favorite bar, Grill 23, about a potential partnership. Despite the "Shark Tank" connection, the SnagaStool team decided to shift its focus away from Mr. Wonderful's preferred haunt. "Grill 23 is probably the worst place in the world to watch a Patriots game," Manning explained in a May 2015 interview with Boston Magazine. "We are the guys who want to make sure you can get a table at Hooters, Olde Magoun's Saloon, or Newtowne Grille." The team also saw an expansion, with the addition of a social media manager and hospitality advisor.

The team behind SnagaStool had high ambitions beyond servicing bars. Manning described the idea of using the app to secure other commonly-used public micro-spaces. He told Heavy, "We are always evaluating new opportunities and pivots. We will keep our eyes open for all new opportunities. I truly believe in dynamic pricing for parking, deck chairs by the pool, tennis courts, bar stools or picnic tables in the park."

But SnagaStool could not find its footing, and by 2016, the app had been shut down. The appearance on "Shark Tank" provided plenty of clues as to why SnagaStool didn't succeed. The founders were never able to effectively communicate the value it offered to patrons and bar owners, and its lack of innovation in a crowded field of reservation apps made SnagaStool obsolete before it was even fully launched. 

While far from as disastrous as pitches such as Season 5's RoloDoc, SnagaStool nevertheless met a similarly quiet end after "Shark Tank." The trio that developed the app quickly moved on to other enterprises. Not long after SnagaStool's end, Manning planted the seeds for his next entrepreneurial venture, BaggaBox. This product was a heavy-duty cut-resistant bag that would keep packages on your porch or doorstep safe from theft. The device earned a bit of attention from the press, with features appearing on major outlets such as ABC and CBS. Manning also launched a Kickstarter campaign in 2017 that would go on to raise over $8,000 on a $7,500 goal. However, this too ended up going nowhere, with the company seeming to end activity near the end of 2018. Since then, Manning has gone on to work in the biotech and pharmaceutical space. He doesn't appear to have soured on "Shark Tank," though, and continues to promote casting calls for the show on his LinkedIn page.

SnagaStool's co-founder Adriano Varassin has been working in various business and travel ventures since the startup's end, and currently serves as the director of London's Travel Trade Group. Dean Whitney  has continued working in user experience and design capacities at companies such as Putnam Investments, GE Healthcare, and Cytiva.