Founder Justin Kittredge pitches his company ISlide in the season 8 premiere of Shark Tank. ISlide specializes in slide sandals, meaning sandals that are backless and open-toed so you can just slide your foot in. The folks at ISlide pride themselves on using only the finest materials and expert craftsmanship, with the goal of creating the most comfortable sandal on Earth.
The original ISlide sandal design is called “the Mantra”. It features an “RPL” egg crate insole that massages and cradles the foot. The Mantra is ISlide’s customizable model that you can personalize with your own designs and text. They also offer a wide selection of pre-made designs including NBA team logos.
The “Waves Gel” ISlide features a unique wave textured insole that creates the feeling of walking on water. The Waves model is not customizable but there are plenty of designs to choose from. The gel cushioning supports the foot and absorbs the shock of movement.
Prior to appearing on Shark Tank the ISlide sandal had become popular among celebrities and professional ball players including Deion Sanders, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and dozens more.
Create Your Own iSlide Sandals
You can cosmetically customize your sandals through ISlide’s easy-to-use online design application. Start by choosing your size and pick from 11 color options. Then create your own design for the straps or have the in-house design team create your custom artwork for you. You can use ISlide’s extensive library of free graphics or you can upload your own graphics or photos to be printed on your sandals. Graphics can be easily altered and edited through the design platform. You can place them anywhere you want, scale, stretch, tilt, and flip images like in a photo editing app. Then add your personalized text using a wide selection of fonts and colors. You can make both sandals the same or create unique designs for the left and right side. Custom designs are great for gifts or team events.
Giving Back
ISlide4Good is a charity program that helps non-profit organizations around the country. Each quarter, ISlide teams up with a new organization, and gives them the opportunity to sell their own branded ISlide sandals and pocket $20 for each pair sold. They also receive $4 from all custom pairs of sandals ordered on the ISlide website.
iSlide In the Tank
iSlide founder Justin Kittredge rolls the dice in the Shark Tank, asking for a $500k investment in exchange for a 5% equity stake in his company. The Sharks are impressed with the product and agree that the sandals are extremely comfortable, but have issues with the business valuation of $10 million, almost 10 times their revenue and 30 times their net profit. Robert Herjavec offers $500k for 20% equity, and the rest of the Sharks drop out. Justin counters for 10%, but since Robert is unwilling to budge, he leaves the Tank without an investment. Even though iSlide didn’t reach a deal, they’ve continued to grow the business and sales have been booming since the show aired.
