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Feb 29, 2024

Where Is Chill Systems From Shark Tank Today?

Keeping beverages cool during picnics and other outdoor excursions is an age-old conundrum — one that entrepreneurs Brian Bloch and Chase Mitchell hoped to solve with their company, Chill Systems.

Keeping beverages cool during picnics and other outdoor excursions is an age-old conundrum — one that entrepreneurs Brian Bloch and Chase Mitchell hoped to solve with their company, Chill Systems. While a Kickstarter campaign initiated in 2021 raised $53,172 to help Chill Systems fulfill orders with its manufacturer, Bloch and Mitchell endeavored to seek out greater financial assistance for their emerging product. However, the company hasn't stood the test of time.

Bloch and Mitchell headed to "Shark Tank" and its pantheon of entrepreneurs, an experience that didn't pan out as the team expected. Most notably, Shark Kevin O'Leary exclaimed, "It only holds three cans?" when faced with Chill Systems' proprietary cooling device, which was christened "the chiller."

Bloch and Mitchell developed the chiller over the course of two years, and their work resulted in a portable cooler capable of holding three cans or one bottle of wine at a time. The device used an internal freezing gel to cool beverages, which retained its chilly temperatures from four to six hours. While seemingly innovative, the chiller and its creators had some problems, which ultimately created a roadblock on their path to success.

Chill Systems founders Brian Bloch and Chase Mitchell entered "Shark Tank" requesting $150,000 in exchange for 15% equity. They presented their product as a convenient way to keep beverages cool on the go, while also reducing carbon footprints by avoiding plastic bags of ice. But almost immediately, the Sharks found fault with the product.

Kevin O'Leary expressed concern about the holding capacity of the chiller, while Mark Cuban balked at the initial $37 production cost (which the founders claimed had since been lowered to $18). He also chided Bloch for describing the production cost as "awful" during the presentation, despite the veracity of the description. The situation became more dire when the founders revealed that they had yet to turn a profit, although the chiller sold for $30 a unit.

Shark Robert Herjavec was the most brutal, stating that Bloch's story was muddled after the founder claimed he was driven towards entrepreneurship because he wasn't learning enough at his previous job at Apple but then pivoted and said he was motivated by sustainability. Guest Shark Daniel Lubetzky piled on by stating that the founders used sustainability as a crutch and that the product was incapable of standing on its own. Because of these issues, Chill Systems left "Shark Tank" without a deal.

Chill Systems wasn't able to gain a foothold in the market after its "Shark Tank" appearance. The company's website is now defunct, and the chiller is listed as currently unavailable on Amazon. The product does retain a presence on social media, including X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, but neither page has been updated since 2021.

A check of the founders' LinkedIn profiles makes it clear that Chill Systems is a thing of the past. Chase Mitchell's page states that Chill Systems officially closed in January 2022 after five years and two months in business. Brian Bloch's LinkedIn profile features similar information, albeit with a timeline of five years and four months for Chill Systems.

While it's disheartening when entrepreneurs are unable to launch their product, Chill Systems' "Shark Tank" appearance made it clear there were a lot of issues with the concept.

While there isn't a ton of information on what happened to Chill Systems after "Shark Tank," one can only assume the hosts' insights proved to be correct. The major selling point of the product was its portability, but portability doesn't matter much when you can only cool three beverages at one time. Then there's the matter of fitting the cooler into a standard-sized freezer to freeze the internal cooling gel, which isn't exactly convenient when you're storing other items.

The notion of sustainability was another detriment, as a product made from plastic is unlikely to win the hearts and minds of people concerned about environmental preservation. It's true that plastic ice bags are challenging to recycle, as they can't always be placed in curbside bins, but it is possible to return them to grocery stores with recycling programs. Accordingly, the chiller isn't a very sustainable solution when you consider the numerous plastic components.

Finally, it's likely that the $30 price tag repelled consumers, as that cost is above and beyond the price of a regular cooler and bags of ice.

With the chiller and Chill Systems in the rear view, Chase Mitchell and Brian Bloch have moved on to new business ventures. Mitchell's LinkedIn page describes him as a "crypto enthusiast" and lists his most recent profession as a business development manager at Coinbase. (Per the Coinbase website, the company serves as a hub for people interested in buying and selling different types of cryptocurrencies, such as Ethereum and Bitcoin.)

As for Bloch, it appears that he's become a self-styled financial adviser (per his LinkedIn profile). Like Mitchell, his page expresses an interest in cryptocurrency. As for his current position, he's back at Apple, serving as the manager of Content Operations Intelligence & Finance in the media products division.

While Mitchell and Bloch were unable to get their product off the ground, they're not lacking in business prowess. But even the best business minds may lack the ingenuity necessary to become a "Shark Tank" success story.