This week’s episode of Shark Tank featured a human cadaver—or a fake cadaver made from synthetic human flesh. With this invention, research and teaching institutions may not need to worry about procuring dead bodies. No matter the cost is about $40,000, Robert Herjavec was still really interested in doing a deal. This even though the inventor, Dr. Christopher Sakezles, said he had no interest in making money on his invention. This caused all of the Sharks, save one, to quickly exit.
But, Robert, recently jousted from Dancing With The Stars, has some extra time on his hands and wanted to be a part of this. I think it was because he loved the science behind it. Robert insisted on having equal representation on the board. This is because as soon as the deal is closed, he’ll oust the doctor as president and put in a CEO that will make money. This is a classic example for any scientific inventor who wants to see his or her company go to the next level. Be prepared: while you’re top dog when the inventing is important, once the company gets investors and starts selling products, there will be little need for you, except to sit in your lab and keep inventing. For most, that’s okay. But, it is a real ego buster. I see this all the time. My advice would be to cash out and go start inventing something else, then sell out again. That way you get enough to live on and you can keep inventing.
By the way, the inventor claimed to have ten patents covering his cadavers. I checked to see if he was telling the trust. Unlike most of the folks on Shark Tank, he was being honest. Here they are:
Not bad for a start-up company. I think Syndaver may well be a company to watch. Check them out at http://syndaver.com/
