Bunim Laskin founded Swimply back in 2018, but Laskin got an unexpected and grim bit of good business fortune when the "Shark Tank" episode that featured the app aired in March of 2020. Obviously, that was around the time the COVID-19 pandemic was ramping up, and public swimming was pretty much a non-starter in many parts of the world.
Whether it was from people jonesing for a swim in the wake of local lockdowns or exposure on "Shark Tank," TechCrunch reported that Swimply revenue saw an atomic 4,000% spike in 2020, which led to a new round of funding without the aid of any of the Sharks. Might they regret their decision to pass on what ended up growing into a successful company? It's possible, although Swimply has run into a few difficulties since its "Shark Tank" appearance as well. This CNN article reports problems with scammers "renting out" pools that don't actually belong to them. And in 2021, lawmakers in Wisconsin reportedly attempted to impose license regulations on homeowners offering their pools for rent (but they later backed off).
In any case, Swimply appears to be going strong now, even if the Sharks of "Shark Tank" opted not to swim in its unexplored waters. And the promotional dynamite known as "the 'Shark Tank' effect" notches another success story in its column.
