Let’s bust a TV myth right up front: They got a Shark Tank deal and rode off into the sunset. Sounds great, but that’s not how the real world works for hustlers and founders. Take Notehall—college note-sharing turned million-dollar win. Their appearance on Shark Tank made waves, but the best moves happened after the cameras cut. Let’s break down the pitch, the deals (yes, and the no-deal), and how DJ Stephan and Sean Conway played the long game.
Meet the Founders: DJ Stephan and Sean Conway
Here’s the story. DJ Stephan and Sean Conway met as college students hustling for an edge. Sean had ADHD, which made traditional learning a grind. Instead of whining, they built a marketplace—Notehall—where students could buy and sell class notes. No overblown resumes, no tech-industry grooming. Just two guys with a problem, a solution, and a knack for seeing opportunity when others saw hassle.
What I respect here? They didn’t just have a “cool idea. They had lived it, breathed it, and took a risk on it. Notehall wasn’t born in Silicon Valley. It started in dorm rooms and coffee shops. If you’ve ever pulled an all-nighter thinking, There’s got to be a better way, these guys were your tribe.
Pitch Recap: Sharks Circle the Notehall Deal
The Shark Tank pitch—Season 1, Episode 8—was business catnip. DJ and Sean stood in front of Barbara Corcoran, Kevin O’Leary, Robert Herjavec, and the rest, asking for $90,000 in exchange for 10% of Notehall. If you’re a founder, you know that moment: no PowerPoint can save you. You’re selling vision, hustle, and proof.
The Sharks bit quickly. Bidding started flying. Kevin O’Leary hovered, smelling easy money—he’s not shy about calling a winner early. Robert Herjavec wanted in. Mark Cuban wasn’t on that season, but his type of deal sense was in the air. The founders held firm. Barbara Corcoran finally clinched it: $90,000 but for 25% equity.
This is the crux of any pitch. Set your floor, look every investor in the eye, and refuse to flinch. The Notehall guys played the game right. Ambitious but not arrogant, excited but not desperate. I’ve seen founders get too greedy—this one knew how to play the game.
Notehall Net Worth: How Much Did it Make?
Let’s talk numbers—what every SharkWorth reader craves. By the time Notehall hit Shark Tank, the platform already had cash and customers. Here are the real stats that mattered:
- Over 750,000 students reached
- 54 universities signed up before their big exit
What’s that get you in startup money? When Chegg came calling in 2011, it wasn’t peanuts. While the sale price isn’t public, Shark Tank insiders and founder interviews estimate the Chegg acquisition well into the seven-figure zone, making both DJ and Sean millionaires before their 30th birthdays.
Why did Notehall command that payday? They’d created a new market, proven it could scale, and showed user traction schools crave. It’s the same playbook as Scrub Daddy or Bombas but for brains instead of sponges or socks.
Did the Deal Happen? The Truth After the Cameras
Okay, here’s where smart founders pay attention. TV magic ends, and suddenly Barbara’s deal is just a handshake. The founders did the unthinkable: they walked away. They never cashed Barbara Corcoran’s check.
Why? While the show wanted a cliffhanger, DJ and Sean went strategic. They joined the Dream IT Ventures start-up program instead. The lesson: not every Shark is your only route to growth. Sometimes, the right accelerator or mentor will unlock more value than a quick cash infusion with too much equity gone.
Don’t believe the TV hype. The bravest founders know when to say no—even to a sure thing. They timed their move, stuck to their true value, and didn’t let the studio lights blind them. Results? More control, a better endgame, and no regrets.
Chegg Acquisition: Notehall Gets Bought Out
Now here’s the boss play. Just two weeks after the Shark Tank taping, Chegg.com—already the Goliath in ed-tech—put in an offer. The founders knew this was the move.
Chegg didn’t just want Notehall’s tech. They wanted the student network, the mindshare, and the street cred Notehall had built. For DJ and Sean, it was less about holding on to their baby and more about scaling their vision much, much bigger.
This is what we talk about on SharkWorth: Did you build something valuable enough for the big dogs to notice? Notehall did, and the payoff showed it.
What Was Notehall’s Product?
Forget buzzwords. Notehall was simple: Upload your notes, buy quality class notes, or sell the ones you’ve got. Students got paid, knowledge got shared. The bravest part? The product called out the unspoken truth—students need help, and working together makes everyone stronger.
Who loved it? Students with learning differences, those stuck with bad profs, or anyone carrying too many shifts and not enough time. Notehall took a real pain and turned it into a frictionless transaction. That’s why it worked.
Where Are They Now? Notehall After Shark Tank
If you fire up Notehall.com now, you’ll find it folded up inside Chegg, not flying solo anymore. Chegg took all the tools, layered them into their own suite, and kept on scaling.
As for DJ Stephan and Sean Conway? They cashed out, turned young millionaires, and left the student hustle world to go build other bets. Their Shark Tank moment was a stepping stone, not the finish line. No resting on laurels—just moving on to the next challenge. That’s real founder DNA.
Shark Tank didn’t mint overnight legends. It minted operators. The kind who can pitch, pivot, and walk when their value gets low-balled. That’s why Notehall’s story still gets airtime among startup circles.
Conclusion: Lessons from Notehall’s Shark Tank Run
If you remember one thing about Notehall, remember this: TV deals are fun, but real wealth comes from knowing your value and moving with intent. Shark Tank is flashy, but the best hustlers know when to play the cameras and when to walk away quietly with the win.
What does Notehall teach hustlers and pitch warriors? Know your worth, play the long game, and never cash the first check unless it feels right. DJ and Sean didn’t just ride their TV moment. They built a product students loved, negotiated with giants, and took the exit when it made sense.
Want to end up on SharkWorth’s winners list? Study moves like this. The grind never gets easier, but the payoffs do. Chase deals, but chase the smart ones. Walk away if you must. Then rinse, repeat—until you’re writing your own Shark Tank story.
FAQs
1. Is Notehall still in business or active as a brand?
No. Notehall got absorbed into Chegg after the acquisition. You won’t find the original Notehall brand standing alone, but the features now live within Chegg’s platform.
2. Did Barbara Corcoran actually invest in Notehall?
No. The founders initially agreed on TV, but left the deal on the table after filming. They picked a different path that wound up more profitable.
3. What was the final sale price to Chegg?
The exact number isn’t public, but it was a million-dollar deal. Both founders walked away with seven figures.
4. How much are the Notehall founders worth after the deal?
Each became a millionaire thanks to the Chegg buyout. Their share? Substantial, given they kept more equity by skipping Barbara’s TV offer.
5. Why did Kevin O’Leary lose the Notehall deal?
Kevin made an aggressive play, but Barbara moved faster. Kevin even chased them backstage—he knew he missed a winner.
6. Was Notehall’s business model legal and accepted on campuses?
Mixed bag. Some schools LOVED it, others frowned on selling notes. The model edged into a gray zone, but Chegg’s resources smoothed it out.
7. What are Sean Conway and DJ Stephan doing now?
Since Notehall, they moved into other ventures and startup projects. Once founders, always founders—they’re out there building and scaling.
8. How fast did Notehall grow after Shark Tank?
Rocket fast. After their Shark Tank hit, user numbers exploded, and within two years Chegg snapped them up.
Want more no-nonsense breakdowns like this one? Stick around SharkWorth. We don’t just track Shark Tank—we show you where the money really ends up, and how you can hustle smart to get there, too.”
