Sharks Tear Check Up and Walk Away From Deal

 It's hard to imagine anyone going on a Show like the Shark Tank and getting a deal with 3 very successful investors, only to have the check torn-up and the very last minute. You jump through all the hoops to get on the Show, successfully make a deal and pass due diligence, go to the closing and completely blow the deal. If you want to learn how NOT to deal with the Sharks, you might like to watch this video with Kevin O'Leary and Robert Herjevic in the first season of the Dragons Den filmed in Canada. 

I had to watch this video a few time's and I'm still completely stunned something like this could happen so close to completing the deal. I almost felt a little sorry for Chris Nguyen, the entrepreneur behind the Jobloft.com concept, but it was his choice not to speak-up when he had the chance and a $200,000.00 check already in his hand. 

Clearly the teacher that helped grow Jobloft to that point had a major problem with the deal concerning the Sharks long before closing day. In Business timing is everything, and this clearly wasn't the time. Asking the question "No offense but did any of you get a business degree" AFTER they just accepted a $200,000.00 certified check, is about as dumb as it could possibly get. The teacher might have had some good ideas for the business, but was it really a good time to start teaching a class? Watching the Sharks get a 12 minute business lesson is a classic moment I won't soon forget. LOL, that's just too funny. 

The Sharks handled themselves like the professionals they are, but how many times can you attack a Shark before they turn around and bite you back? The teacher with his PHD just had to find out "How many insults does it take to destroy a deal when it's already 99% completed"? Insulting Jim Treliving about flying to the meeting on his private jet probably wasn't the smartest thing for the teacher to be teaching his students either, and what does that have to do about the business deal. 
 
Finally after explaining how insignificant the investors measly $200,000.00 was really worth, Robert Herjevic heard enough and snatches the certified check away from Chris Nguyen's hand. Ouch, now why didn't he put that check away in while he had the chance? By the look in Robert's eyes, I seriously doubt it would have made any difference once he made up his mind. 

In the end, the students took the teacher's advice and walked away from the deal with the Sharks. (or Dragons as they're called in Canada) No doubt there's several very good lessons to be learned from all parties involved.. Kevin O'Leary wrote in great detail more about this deal gone sour in his book "Cold Hard Truth" . Now watching the video with my own eyes, it really makes you wonder how this deal proceeded as far as it did, and "why" did the teacher wait until the last minute before finally voicing his opinion? 

Find the article on the best Shark Tank Blog I have ever seen
http://sharktanksuccess.blogspot.com/

There are three types of people: those who have tried 3D printing, those who are fascinated by it and can’t wait to try it and those who have no idea what it is — yet. But a new collaboration between EKOCYCLE and 3D Systems is making the technology more accessible for novices and experienced users alike. The EKOCYCLETM Cube® 3D Printer allows home users the ability to create new, beautiful and meaningful objects with a groundbreaking printer filament made in part from assorted post-consumer recycled plastic bottles.

The Cube joins a growing collection of EKOCYCLE products, a brand launched by will.i.am and The Coca-Cola Company to promote sustainability through aspirational, yet attainable lifestyle products made in part from recycled material.

http://www.ekocycle.com/

3D Printing BasicsIn its simplest terms, 3D printing allows one to manufacture a 3D object from a digital design. While the term "printing" often confuses people, it makes sense when you realize that items are created by adding successive layers of filament material – which can include plastic, metal, even food – to build the object, just as a regular printer adds ink to paper to create text, images or a photograph. Artists are using 3D printers to create pieces ranging from necklaces to large-scale sculptures, but the technology is also used to create everything from textiles to medical devices to engine parts.

The EKOCYCLE Cube prints with a filament cartridge made in part from assorted post-consumer recycled 20oz PET plastic bottles. Each EKOCYCLE cartridge turns the recycled plastic into a variety of products including wearable fashion and music accessories. The new EKOCYCLE Cube prints in dual color in a curated color palette of red, black, white and natural. New to home 3D printing, rPET is a flexible filament material that retains full durability.

The EKOCYCLE ConnectionEKOCYCLE is a sustainability-minded partnership between will.i.am and The Coca-ColaCompany. The goal of the program, as will.i.am explains, is to "partner with the most influential brands around the world and use technology, art, style and inspiration to change an entire culture. We will create aspirational lifestyle products made in part using post-consumer waste. We will make it cool to recycle. And we will make it cool to make products using recycled materials.”

“The EKOCYCLE Cube takes 3D printing to the next level, giving people all over the world the ability to transform discarded waste into useful, functional and fashionable objects,” said will.i.am, Chief Creative Officer, 3DS. “This is the beginning of a more sustainable 3D-printed lifestyle.”

The current collaboration with 3D Systems to launch the innovative EKOCYCLE Cube 3D printer fits naturally with other EKOCYCLE products made with recycled materials such as Beats by Dr. Dre ® Studio headphones and New Era® 59FIFTY fitted caps.

"With EKOCYCLE products, consumers have been able to get beautifully designed items made with recycled materials," notes Kelli Sogar, Senior Global Licensing Manager at The Coca-ColaCompany. “With the EKOCYCLE Cube, there is enormous potential for everyone, from students and home crafters to artists and inventors, to feel a more direct connection with recycling and think of it as an integral part of creating something new. It's not just about making an object at home, it's about making a change in how we think about recycling."

Making the Process EasierWhile 3D printing has certainly been making waves in the manufacturing and design communities, the complex software and the high cost of the printer and the ingredients it requires have typically meant that widespread home or school use wasn't very realistic. But that is beginning to change.

Unleashing the ImaginationOf course 3D printing has a natural appeal to the more tech-oriented passionate “makers” of the DIY movement, students and teachers, and to those people who just can't get over how cool it is to see an object being built. But, according to Sogar, with the EKOCYCLE Cube, there is an opportunity that goes beyond seeing ideas to life. "We believe that innovation and technology are critical in delivering meaningful consumer experiences with our brands."

EKOCYCLE Cube FeaturesThe EKOCYCLE Cube 3D printer is a plug and play consumer 3D printer, priced at $1,199 for everyday use, and will be available at 3DS’ online consumer hub Cubify™. The EKOCYCLE Cube printers are expected to commence commercial shipments during the second half of 2014. To sign up for updates, please visit Cubify.

• Setting a New Standard for How We Make: Each EKOCYCLE Cartridge turns the equivalent of 3 used bottles into your next wearable fashion, music accessory or desktop décor. Users will receive a free collection of 25 fashion, music and tech minded accessories, curated by will.i.am, to have fun 3D printing immediately.
  
  
• Remade Print Experience: Prints in beautiful 70-micron high resolution at fast speeds and up to 6” cubed in size, with ultra-fine supports for complex prints and a choice of easy auto settings or advanced settings. Auto-leveling ensures quality printability every time.
  
  
• Unlock the Limits of Style: EKOCYCLE Cube prints in simultaneous, dual color recycled plastic in a curated color palette of red, black, white and natural.
  
  
• Instant Load Cartridge: Instant material loading is now easier than changing an ink cartridge. Moisture-lock cartridges ensure extended shelf life and total material usage, improving print quality and sustainability. The cartridges are easy to load and store while preserving the life and quality of the materials.
  
  
• Convenience in the Palm of Your Hand: Enjoy the freedom of mobile printing direct from the Cubify app for iOS and Android. Find new things to print in the curated brand collections or browse the Design Feed for inspiration to add to your Shelf. Prep and print from your smartphone direct to the EKOCYCLE Cube.
  
  
• Easy to Use, Sleek Design: Building on the iconic Cube, the EKOCYCLE Cube features a color touchscreen with an intuitive user interface and sleek LEDs highlighting prints in action, and is equipped with faster Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, an auto-leveling printpad and easy supports removal for complex prints.

will.i.am Introduces the EKOCYCLE Cube 3D Printer

The Uber Florida family is growing — today, uberX is rolling into Ft. Lauderdale and West Palm Beach! We’ve had an awesome time bringing safe, affordable and stylish transportation to the streets of Miami this summer. And now, South Florida residents in neighboring Ft. Lauderdale and West Palm Beach can also enjoy the convenience, safety and reliability of requesting a ride with the push of a button. 

What comes to mind when you think of a 3D printer? A far-fetched, futuristic fantasy from “The Jetsons”? The scariest new technology around? Perhaps the most useful? 3D printers have been utilized to create everything from prosthetic limbs to computer parts to dolls to bicycles to… well, pretty much anything that can be dreamed up and designed using software and plastic.

First, a primer: rather than putting ink to paper, most 3D printers build layers of an object by applying melted plastic from a movable nozzle in a controlled manner until the layers add up to an actual object — think building a pyramid from the bottom up, one layer at a time.

In addition to revolutionizing major industries like automotive and aerospace manufacturing, 3D printing also has the potential to benefit the small to medium-sized business sphere. Companies could fashion prototypes or one-offs of any object they desire in mere minutes, opening the door to rapid, low-cost technological advances untethered to traditional means of expensive and time-consuming mass production.

Aiding the rise of 3D printers is a correlated drop in cost — as Moore’s Law states, the number of transistors on a chip will double every two years, driving technological progress forward while simultaneously driving prices down. As Forbes reported in 2013, 3D printers have followed that inverse curve, with prices plummeting from the million-dollar range for large-scale machines to $1,000 hobbyist kits and pre-assembled printers produced by companies like MakerBot and 3D Systems.

Furthering the spread of 3D printing, many of these ready-to-use machines, like 3D’s Cube and MakerBot’s Replicator, also come with built-in 3D designs; free versions of software are even beginning to proliferate online. Research firm IDC predicts the number of 3D printers sold in 2014 will rise 67% from 2013; in January, Dell added MakerBot 3D printing to its small and medium-sized business sales channel; and in March, HP announced that it would announce a line of 3D printersfor the business community later this year.

How exactly can small to medium-sized businesses benefit from 3D printing? Consider these scenarios:

·      Break a key off your computer keyboard? A 3D printer could fashion a new replacement in minutes, saving you expensive repair costs or time and money spent purchasing a new keyboard.

·      Need a scale model to win over a prospective client and potentially secure a contract? Architects, orthodontists, and toolmakers could benefit greatly from the ability to quickly produce one-offs.

·      Want to launch a design or manufacturing start-up with little overhead? For hundreds of years, the first thought for any manufacturer has been, “How many of these can I sell?” Now, a designer can make one product at a time, modifying it alongside instant feedback to truly cater to a specific customer base.

The best part about 3D printing is that you don’t have to make a major investment to take advantage. Companies like Shapeways, considered the Amazon.com of 3D printing, allow customers to upload 3D designs and outsource the actual creation of them. Place an order with all the customization you want, Shapeways prints the object, and then it’s delivered right to your door. Many industry insiders say this type of 3D printing outsourcing will be most businesses first experience with the new trend.