You remember the plastic straw panic of 2018? It felt like every coffee shop in the country suddenly replaced their reliable plastic sippers with those mushy paper tubes that disintegrated halfway through a latte. In the middle of that cultural shift, The Last Straw walked into the Shark Tank.
They had a collapsible, reusable stainless steel straw. It came in a little keychain case. It was sleek. People loved it. But the story of the Last Straw Shark Tank appearance is actually a masterclass in the brutal reality of consumer product goods (CPG) and the "first-mover" trap.
Most people think getting on the show is the finish line. Honestly? It's usually just the start of a very expensive headache.
What Actually Happened During the Last Straw Shark Tank Pitch?
Emma Cohen walked into the Tank during Season 10, asking for a whopping $1 million for 5% of her company. That’s a $20 million valuation. For a straw.
The Sharks—Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, Daymond John, Kevin O'Leary, and Guest Shark Jamie Siminoff (the Ring doorbell founder)—looked like they’d seen a ghost. Or at least a very overvalued piece of metal. Cohen’s pitch was centered on the "anti-plastic" movement. She had the numbers to back up the hype, though. At the time of filming, the company had done about $3.9 million in sales in just a few months, mostly through a massive Kickstarter campaign.
The Shark Reaction was Cold
Kevin O'Leary did his usual thing. He couldn't get past the valuation. Mark Cuban was worried about the "barrier to entry." This is a fancy way of saying, "What’s stopping a factory in China from making this for $2 and selling it on Amazon tomorrow?"
Turns out, nothing was stopping them.
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The Last Straw ended up leaving without a deal. Jamie Siminoff actually appreciated the hustle, but $1 million for 5% of a straw company is a tough pill to swallow even for a billionaire. The problem wasn't the product. People liked the straw. The problem was the moat. Or rather, the complete lack of one.
The Problem With Being "The Original"
The Last Straw was basically the first high-profile reusable straw on the market. Being first is great for PR. It's terrible for your legal budget.
By the time the episode aired, the market was already flooded. You could go on Amazon and find a "Final Straw" (which was their original name before trademark issues) or a "Last Straw" or a "Best Straw" for a third of the price. Cohen spent a fortune on legal fees trying to play "whack-a-mole" with knockoffs.
It's a common story in the Tank. You have a great idea, you show it to 4 million people on national television, and 4,000 manufacturers immediately start copying your CAD files. If you don't have a utility patent that is iron-clad—and even if you do—defending it can bankrupt a small business.
Where is LastObject Now?
After the show, the company rebranded and expanded. They became LastObject.
They realized that you can't survive on a straw alone. They branched out into reusable cotton swabs (LastSwab), reusable tissues (LastTissue), and even reusable makeup remover pads. It’s a smart pivot. They moved from being a "one-hit-wonder" straw company to a "sustainable lifestyle" brand.
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But it hasn't been easy. The hype of 2018 died down. The "straw ban" laws in various states didn't always stick, or people just got used to the paper ones. The business had to learn how to survive without the "viral" wind in its sails.
Let's Talk About the Valuation Trap
Let's be real for a second. $20 million for a straw company is insane.
Investors look at "multiples." If you’re a software company, maybe you get a 10x or 20x multiple because your margins are 90%. If you're selling a physical object made of steel and silicone, your margins are much lower. You have shipping. You have warehousing. You have returns.
When Emma Cohen asked for that valuation, she was pricing in "future potential" that the Sharks just didn't see. They saw a fad.
Why the Sharks Were Right (and Wrong)
- Mark Cuban: He saw the Amazon threat immediately. He knew the algorithm would favor the cheapest version, not the "authentic" one. He was right.
- Lori Greiner: She usually loves "hero" products. But even the Queen of QVC knew that a $25 straw is a hard sell when the competition is $5.
- The Counter-Point: LastObject is still around today. They survived the "Shark Tank Effect" and the knockoff wars. That proves there is a market for high-quality, branded sustainability, even if it's a niche one.
The Reality of Post-Shark Tank Success
Success after the show isn't always about the deal. It's about the "bump."
The Last Straw got a massive surge in traffic after the episode. Even without a Shark on board, that exposure is worth millions in marketing spend. Most companies see their website crash the night the episode airs. If you can capture those emails and turn those one-time "save the turtles" buyers into repeat customers for your other products, you win.
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LastObject did exactly that. They used the straw as a "loss leader" or a "gateway drug" into the rest of their catalog.
What You Can Learn From This
If you're an entrepreneur looking at the Last Straw Shark Tank story, there are a few blunt truths you need to swallow.
- Patents won't save you. Unless you have millions to spend on lawyers, a patent is just a piece of paper. Your best defense is a strong brand and a loyal community.
- Inventory is a killer. Physical products require "cash cycles." You have to pay for the metal straws months before you sell them. If you miscalculate the demand, you're sitting on a warehouse full of dead weight.
- The "Why" matters more than the "What." People didn't buy the straw because it was the best way to drink water. They bought it because they wanted to feel like they were helping the planet. LastObject succeeded because they sold a "feeling" of sustainability.
Moving Forward With Your Own Product Idea
Don't let the "Shark Tank" rejection scare you. Plenty of "no-deal" companies end up outperforming the ones that got the handshake. The key is in the pivot.
If you’re developing a product, ask yourself if it’s a "feature" or a "company." A straw is a feature. A line of waste-reducing household goods is a company. Emma Cohen figured that out just in time.
Actionable Insights for Sustainable Brands
If you're trying to build a brand in the "eco-friendly" space today, the rules have changed since 2018.
- Focus on Longevity: People are tired of "eco-friendly" stuff that breaks. If your reusable product doesn't last 5 years, it's just delayed trash. Highlight the durability.
- Build a Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Powerhouse: Don't rely on Amazon. If you sell on Amazon, you're competing on price. If you sell on your own site, you're competing on story.
- Diversify Early: Don't wait three years to launch your second product. Use the momentum of your first hit to fund the R&D for the next three.
- Be Transparent About Your Supply Chain: In 2026, "greenwashing" is a death sentence. Consumers want to know exactly where the silicone comes from and how the workers are treated.
The Last Straw might have started as a viral moment, but its evolution into LastObject is the real story. It’s a reminder that in business, being "the first" is a sprint, but staying "the best" is a marathon.