What Happened To Foam Coolers After Shark Tank?

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During Season 16, Episode 6 of "Shark Tank," we were introduced to David Kittle and Chad Lee: the minds behind Foam Coolers. The pair met while they were both employed at Coleman, another popular cooler company. While Lee was on the sales side of things, Kittle was a designer who had previously worked on established "Shark Tank" brands like Tush Baby and Guardian Bikes. Wanting to shoot their shot with their own original idea, they launched Foam Coolers.

According to the duo, Foam was the first ever 100% EVA cooler. Their model combines rubber and foam, which is injected into a cooler shaped mold. The result is a super lightweight and flexible yet surprisingly durable cooler that makes hanging out at the beach or by the pool a breeze. While it isn't necessarily intended for hardcore outdoorsman, Foam provides more of an "every man's" cooler that can truly perform. To prove it, the pair even brought a steamroller to the set. After being quite literally rolled over, the brightly colored cooler remained totally unscathed — and buoyant too! Much like your Crocs, the cooler floats. The foam material also works as a natural insulator, which means the cooler doesn't need to be bulky to fit 30 cans. Plus, it's the perfect size for this easy cooler hack!

David Kittle and Chad Lee stepped out on the "Shark Tank" stage in hopes of impressing the investors with a new kind of cooler and asked for $150,000 for 10% equity in their company. Unlike the hyper-durable coolers geared towards extreme outdoor enthusiasts, Foam coolers are designed for folks seeking a more relaxed outdoor experience. While the coolers retail for $99 and wholesale for $50, each one costs about $25 to produce. In regard to sales, the duo said they made $114K that year with an additional commitment for $137K made to them right before their episode was filmed, bringing their year-to-date sales up to $251,000. Still, looking at the design, Daymond John couldn't really wrap his head around the fact that people would pay nearly 100 bucks for such a simple cooler. The duo were also set to roll out products in 98 target stores, which Kevin O'Leary worried might cause the business to flop.

Lori Greiner, Mark Cuban, and Todd Graves (the co-founder of Raising Cane's) pretty quickly dropped out of the running. But despite their concerns, O'Leary and John remained in talks with the entrepreneurs. O'Leary eventually offered $150K for 33.3% equity, which would effectively make him the third partner. John offered the same deal, before quickly amending it: $150K for 30% equity. Although grateful for the options, the entrepreneurs countered with two different offers, the last being  $150K for 25% equity, but neither shark took the bait. Ultimately, Kittle and Lee made a deal with John for his initial offer of $150K for 30% equity.

Though David Kittle and Chad Lee filmed their "Shark Tank" episode in June 2024, they didn't find out it was going to air until the following November. As Lee explained in an interview on the YouTube channel Entrepreneurship and Intellectual Property, the episode came out a few weeks later and, within a couple of hours, the website saw 27,000 new visitors — a stark comparison to the 10 visitors it had they day before. Kittle believed that the show educated people about the benefits of EVA coolers, which generated loads of interest.

Though there were folks on Reddit who seemed to agree with Daymon John about the valuation of the cooler, the duo reports that sales have been skyrocketing, with a single day at Orlando's Surf Expo in January resulting in over 100 coolers sold. They have also landed their colorful line of products in Target stores across the country, which was a deal in the works even before they got on the show. The coolers can be purchased at REI, Walmart, Amazon, and Wayfair, as well as select specialty stores, convenience stores, and gift shops. The team even expanded their merchandise line from four colors to eight and now offers a selection of accessories like a Foam strap.

Reviews for the cooler have been mixed, with some folks applauding the lightweight design, while others say it just doesn't cut it. "If you're looking for something small, lightweight, that will keep your drink cold for a couple hours this is for you," one reviewer wrote on Amazon, adding, "This didn't work well for me on a boat in the summer. Drinks went warm after about 5 hours."

As of December 2025, Foam Coolers is still in business. As the lightweight coolers landed in more stores, the company launched an impressive and interactive advertising campaign via social media which worked to generate interest and, ultimately, sales. However, it hasn't been totally smooth sailing for the entrepreneurs. In February 2025, after President Trump signed an executive order to enact tariffs on all goods coming from China, the path forward became unclear for the company 

Following the drastic and immediate changes on import taxes, Lee said they were slapped with a $22,800 bill for a shipment that once costed $4,500. "There's no option to manufacture here at any reasonable price," Lee told Bloomberg News. "[These payments] aren't coming out of some greedy businessman. They're coming out of Chad's savings account. I don't know if people realize that." To that effect, Lee confessed during the Entrepreneurship and Intellectual Property interview that the company was broke and all of the staff members listed on their website are going without a salary. On top of it all, Lee has also been dealing with personal issues, as his wife continues to fight breast cancer.

Despite Lee's personal hardship and the business's uncertainty, David Kittle and Chad Lee intend to push forward. They've revealed that the Foam Coolers family is growing — it isn't just going to be coolers for very much longer. Beginning March 2026,  the company's product offering will also include Foam tote bags. Now available for pre-order the totes come in two sizes — Large and "Smedium" — and 10 different colors, including Citrus Orange, Glacier Blue, Cyan, Flamingo Pink, Cool Gray, Cherry Red, Midnight Black, Arctic White, Deep Sea Purple, and Swirl Pink and Cyan. Similar to the cooler (and Bogg Bags), the totes are made from EVA foam, making them structured and easily to clean. Plus, they have plenty of room for you to pack all the accoutrements necessary to carry out TikTok's two-sandwich beach day rule.

As far as finding another manufacturing site moving forward, Lee says it's not a safe move at the present moment. If building a manufacturing facility in the U.S. becomes more affordable or their attempt to garner government funding provides them with resources, the partners have discussed building a facility they can use to manufacture large scale EVA products for other companies as well as their own.