What Happened To Chill Systems On Shark Tank Season 12?

Portable coolers are a staple summer accessory for many, providing space and temperature control for refreshments. But traditional ice coolers can prove to be cumbersome and wasteful, a fact that was blatantly apparent to entrepreneurs Chase Mitchell and Brian Bloch. Together, the two created Chill Systems, an ice-free cooler designed with sustainability in mind. After leaving it in the freezer for 24 hours, it is able to keep cans and bottles cool for up to six hours. Its compact size and portability also add to its appeal. 

Despite the college friends having had comfortable jobs at Apple and Google, they wanted to challenge themselves and start a business that would leave an impact. After spending their nights and weekends mapping out and self-funding the product, the two went all-in on Chill Systems as a full-time venture in 2018. They launched a Kickstarter in June of that year seeking $50,000. By August, the campaign was fully funded with over $53,000 raised from more than 300 backers. 

Chill Systems went on to be featured on Season 12 of the ABC reality series "Shark Tank," the same season that saw pitches for the educational tool Codi Robot and the self-cleaning LARQ water bottle. While the Chill Systems founders came in with high hopes of impressing the sharks with their innovative and environmentally-conscious mindset, their pitch would go into the books as one of the show's most disastrous in recent memory. 

Mitchell and Bloch sought a $150,000 for a 15% equity stake in Chill Systems. To illustrate the ineffectiveness of traditional ice coolers, they kicked off their presentation with Bloch stumbling onto the stage and spilling a large bag of ice everywhere. From there, they demonstrated the tool's versatility, with a design that allows it to hold cans and be flipped around to fit larger bottles. Kevin O'Leary criticized the cooler's three-can capacity, feeling that most users would prefer one that could hold much more — a sentiment that the team had heard before. By this point the company was two years old and had brought in $111,000. However, they didn't sugarcoat the abysmal nature of their product's bottom line. The total manufacturing and import costs for their earliest models had totaled $37, although they had gotten that down to about $18 by pitch time. They were selling the units for $30, which was still not enough to turn an profit when advertising, distribution, and other operational costs were factored in. 

To say the sharks went into a frenzy at this point would be an understatement. The investors heavily criticized the sustainability aspect, with some feeling that the team were using it as a crutch, and others finding the presentation itself to be ineffective as a whole. Kevin O'Leary was especially furious as he believed that every aspect of the product was terrible. He told the pair, "There's no hope, this is a REALLY bad idea," and offered to help get them their old tech jobs back. Mark Cuban was more gracious about the product itself, but told Mitchell and Bloch, "Your presentation sucked." Barbara Corcoran, Lori Greiner, and guest shark Daniel Lubetsky were a bit more gracious, but also passed.

Chill Systems' "Shark Tank" segment aired on March 12, 2021. In many cases, a business featured on "Shark Tank" — even one that doesn't get a deal — will make the most out of its time in the limelight. Following a company's segment being broadcast, a phenomenon known as the "Shark Tank" effect often sees the company receive a significant boost in website traffic and sales. Likely hoping that the exposure would bring about a similar barrage of new eyes, Chill Systems did its best to anticipate the influx. The company announced a special "Shark Tank" sale that gave buyers 15% off of their order and free shipping to US addresses. 

Additionally, the company took the opportunity to highlight certain products not showcased in its "Shark Tank" appearance, particularly its custom-branded cooler and totes. It seems that these tactics brought a little bit of attention to the business. The Chill Systems founders expressed their gratitude in an Instagram post that read, "We wanted to take some time to express our appreciation for all of the support over the last few days! This has been a wild ride for us, and we cannot thank you all enough for participating.⁠"

Sadly, Chill Systems was unable to last much longer after its time on "Shark Tank." According to the LinkedIn accounts of its co-founders, the company went dark at the start of 2022. Its website is no longer in operation and its hasn't posted to its Facebook or Instagram accounts since July 2021. There is no official word from the Chill Systems team as to why the business shut down, but it's likely that the "Shark Tank" pitch didn't help all that much. Many fans deemed the showcase to be among the worst ever featured on the show. 

In the episode discussion thread on the r/Shark Tank subreddit, many users pointed out that the three-can capacity was impractical. u/TDenverFan commented, "Right, like the upside of a cooler is I can fit beer for everyone. 3 beers is fine for a person, but each of my friends also need to buy one of these for it to work." u/monkeyman80 echoed Cuban and Robert Herjavec's criticisms of the presentation, writing "These guys are going to the hall of fame of how not to pitch. I don't think there was anything they did right." Despite the stain that "Shark Tank" left on Chill Systems' reputation, it appears that the few people who have tried out the product for themselves are relatively pleased with their purchase. Its defunct listing on Amazon has two four-star ratings, and The YouTube channel Outdoors gave the product a positive review, appreciating its compact size, portability, and six-hour cooling time.

While Chill Systems may not be on the same level of "Shark Tank" infamy as pitches such as Pavlok, there's no denying that the segment didn't portray the product or company in the best light. The panel certainly had valid criticisms, but a more effectively structured message and plans for growth wouldn't have brought as much pushback from the sharks and viewers. We will never know how Chill Systems would've fared had it earned an investment, but it appears that its founders took the sharks' words to heart.

Since Chill Systems' shut down, Mitchell has moved on to work at the cryptocurrency exchange platform Coinbase. He joined the company in January of 2022 and became a business development manager in August of 2023. Co-founder Brian Bloch took Kevin O'Leary's advice and returned to his previous place of employment at Apple. According to his LinkedIn, Bloch's three-year entrepreneurial hiatus from the company ended in July 2021. He has since held three positions in two departments at Apple, and now serves as a Senior Manager for Apple Service Operations while continuing to consult and invest in the cryptocurrency firm Elbay Endeavors.