RALEIGH, N.C. — For Raleigh entrepreneur Jon Hayes, the “Shark Tank” appearance that scored investment dollars from celebrity investor Mark Cuban started with an email.
[RELATED: How this local entrepreneur built a network of dealerships for rare and vintage cars]
“It was random,” he admits, recalling a day in February when he received an unsolicited note from a “Shark Tank” producer who had seen the website for the travel rewards firm he founded in 2014, RewardStock. “You should apply,” the producer said.
But what it turned into was a trip to Los Angeles, an investment, hula dancers and an unprecedented level of buzz for his startup. In an interview, he talks the Triangle Business Journal through what happened — and what’s taken place since Sunday’s episode was filmed in June.
“At first it just seemed kind of spammy … I didn’t think it was going to turn into anything,” he says.
Read the full story here.
Read more top trending stories on wsoctv.com:
- Monroe Expressway, Charlotte area's first toll road, opens Tuesday
- US military says 3 American service members killed in Afghanistan
- Former NASCAR driver sentenced for attempted underage sex
- WATCH: Jaclyn Shearer's Tuesday forecast outlook
- Rowan-Salisbury officials recommend plan to reshape district, close schools