Let’s bust a Shark Tank myth right out of the gate: Just because you get on TV doesn’t mean you walk away rich. Savy is a perfect case. This was a startup built by a gutsy 20-year-old, Disha Shidham, who faced the heat from Mark Cuban, Kevin O’Leary, Lori Greiner, Daymond John, and Robert Herjavec in Season 9. She was hungry, and Savy had a smart angle—helping online shoppers snag deals at the price they wanted. So why did this seemingly fresh idea fizzle fast? And what actually happened after the cameras stopped rolling? Welcome to the real post-Tank story, Savy style.
Savy’s Shark Tank Pitch: Disha Shidham Enters the Tank
Here’s how it went down: Disha stepped into the Tank with straight-up courage. She asked for $100,000 in exchange for 10% of her company. Read that back—she was putting a $1 million price tag on a business that had never made a buck.
The pitch itself had all the classic drama. Disha was visibly nervous. She paused, regrouped, and then walked the Sharks step-by-step through Savy’s app dashboard. It was a make an offer tool for online retail, kind of like a Priceline for the stuff you actually want to wear or use.
Let me tell you, I’ve watched founders bomb pitches by being overconfident or too slick. Disha was raw, and maybe a little too honest for TV, but she showed grit.
Savy’s Numbers: Hard Facts, No Fluff
This is where most Shark Tank daydreams die—in the numbers. The Sharks drilled down fast. Here’s what Disha revealed:
- About 1,000 stores signed up (but most were small or unknown)
- Roughly 2,000 users on the app
- Not a single dollar in revenue. Zero.
- All growth basically through social media and straight hustle
For Shark Tank, those numbers just don’t hook a room of billionaires. The market fit wasn’t clear, and partnerships here mostly meant boutiques experimenting, not big-box giants.
I’ve seen worse metrics get funded, don’t get me wrong. But every Shark smelled the risk: Too early, not enough proof. And if you want to be valued at a million bucks, you better show more than signups and hustle.
Savy’s Valuation: Did the Million Dollar Ask Make Sense?
Let’s unpack her math: $100,000 for 10% means you’re telling the world the company is worth $1 million. Sharks—especially Kevin O’Leary—hate pie-in-the-sky numbers. So, what really backed up that $1M? Not sales. Not giant retailer contracts. Just a founder with grit, an app, and some buzz.
Today, if SharkWorth ran the numbers or checked any friendly startup calculator, Savy wouldn’t come near the million mark. The harsh truth is, a pre-revenue, pre-traction app with a tiny user base is Monopoly money until proven otherwise.
This move was classic startup over-optimism. I get it—I’ve been there. But in the Shark Tank? You really have to sell why you’ll make real money, and fast.
How the Sharks Reacted: Why Every Single Shark Passed
Let’s run through the responses, play by play:
- Mark Cuban: Dropped out fast when Disha admitted she wasn’t planning on returning to college. In his book, hustle is good, but a backup plan is smarter at that age.
- Kevin O’Leary: Interested in the concept but saw it as just an idea, not a business. Too early, too raw.
- Robert Herjavec: Said, flat out, Disha didn’t sound fanatically obsessive about Savy. He wanted a founder ready to eat, sleep, and breathe one thing.
- Lori Greiner: Didn’t see her angle—quiet, but firm, I’m out.
- Daymond John: All business, not enough upside, so walked away.
You notice the trend here? None of them dismissed Disha’s drive—but every Shark called out the lack of traction. No revenue, no user growth curve, and no killer pitch for what set Savy apart.
Savy’s Secret Sauce… Just Not Savory Enough
Let’s give credit: Savy had a spark of originality. Allowing shoppers to set the price and negotiate with stores directly is clever. It tries to put regular folks in the driver’s seat, rather than waiting for some random sale.
But here’s the flip side: Original ideas die fast without frictionless user experience and a clear path to scale. Savy just didn’t solve the retailers’ real pain—every store can put stuff on sale; few want shoppers constantly lowballing them. And Savy didn’t prove that stores would stick around for the long-term game.
If you want to build the next tech shopping app, you need viral loop potential, sticky engagement, or deals exclusive to your platform. Savy didn’t nail any of those.
Life After Shark Tank: Where Did Savy Go?
Some startups don’t need a Shark’s cash—they get buzz and blow up anyway. But Savy? The show was the peak.
Within a year, Savy’s site was taken offline. Social went quiet. App stores had no trace. There were no headlines of comeback stories or big client signings. Disha hustled, but when you’re relying on boutique shops and no big contracts, cash simply dries up.
Frankly, it was never about the tech—it was about distribution and market fit, and Savy couldn’t crack the code. After Shark Tank, there were chances to pivot—maybe find a B2B partner, maybe sell the software to established retailers—but the runway was short. The startup shutdown came quick.
Savy vs. Saavy Naturals: Clearing Up the Mix-Up
This is a good lesson in branding, folks. Savy is the negotiate-your-price app. Saavy Naturals is a personal care company—totally separate, and they actually landed a deal on Season 7 with Barbara Corcoran. Different spelling, different business model, different outcome. If you googled Savy after the episode, you probably wound up looking at shampoo before you found the negotiation tool.
Don’t underestimate the power of name confusion. If your brand gets mixed up with another TV company—especially from a different industry—you’re in for a headache.
Lessons for Any Founder: What Every Hustler Should Notice
Here’s the brutal, but true, checklist I’ve picked up—both from Savy and from other Shark Tank crash-and-burn cases:
- Early excitement means nothing if you can’t prove real market demand.
- Don’t put a million-dollar price tag on hope and hustle alone.
- Going all in? Back it up with user growth and revenue, or be ready to pivot fast.
- Branding matters more than founders realize. Don’t fight for attention with a doppelganger.
- It’s okay to fail on live TV—what matters is if you learn and move to your next idea with more fire and data.
- If the five toughest investors in America think it’s too early, it probably is—or your pitch needs real teeth.
I’ve seen founders get rejected and double their valuation a year later. Others flame out for good. The key difference? Relentless focus on data, understanding your real customer, and never, ever believing your own hype.
FAQs: Savy Shark Tank Story (Straight from SharkWorth!)
1. Is Savy from Shark Tank still in business?
No. Savy shut down in 2018. The website and app vanished. They couldn’t build enough traction.
2. Why did Disha leave college for Savy?
She believed in the startup’s vision and wanted to go all-in. The Sharks, especially Mark Cuban, weren’t so sure.
3. Did any Shark offer Savy a deal?
No offers. The Sharks either thought it was too early, lacked obsession, or needed more proof the idea worked.
4. What did Savy do differently from other shopping apps?
It let shoppers set prices and negotiate deals with stores, instead of waiting for fixed discounts.
5. How much was Savy valued during its Shark Tank pitch?
$1 million. Disha asked for $100,000 for 10%—but the Sharks weren’t buying it.
6. Are there apps like Savy available now?
Not really. Some make an offer features exist, but no major standalone app fills the same space.
7. Who was the founder behind Savy?
Disha Shidham—driven, smart, and willing to take risks most young entrepreneurs only dream about.
8. Did Savy ever make any revenue?
No. As confirmed on Shark Tank, Savy never closed a sale or generated a dollar before shutting down.
Final Word from a Fellow Hustler
If you’re still reading, you’re probably a builder or a dreamer. Here’s what matters: Shark Tank doesn’t make or break companies; founders do. Savy’s story has all the right ingredients for a great learning moment. Celebrate the risk. Study the miss. Next time you see a founder pitch a billion-dollar idea, ask yourself: Where’s the traction? Where’s the real demand? On SharkWorth, and in real life, that’s the only score that counts.
