Nightcap is a drink cover that works as both a scrunchie and a glass covering device to prevent pills/powders from being dropped into your glass if you leave it unattended.
It’s made of spandex material that makes it easy to stretch and fit any type of glass. The material is easy-to-use and clean. It also comes in a fun range of colors like purple, pink, blue, and black. However, it doesn’t come with a straw, so you’ll have to carry your own. The scrunchie is sold in single packs and gift packs, and you can easily buy it off Amazon or their website.
The company was founded by Shirah and Michael Benarde. The product was invented by Shirah when she was 17 and used a combination of scrunchie and pantyhose to cover her drink. When she shared this with her brother, the two siblings decided to start a business centered on the product. This was mainly motivated by the fact that drink spiking is a huge problem on college campuses, and they wanted to provide a safety mechanism for women.
The product is quite affordable, and the design has won them awards like at the Tallahassee Startup and FSU’s Turkey Tank competitions. They’d managed to get a lot of investment from their parents, $12,000 from a crowdfunding campaign, and a total of $15,000 from different pitch competitions. Although the product was still pending a patent, it was quite popular among customers.
Are They Still an Active Company?
Yes, the company is active and still in business.
How Did the Shark Tank Pitch Go?
The siblings came to Shark Tank seeking an investment of $60,000 for a 20% stake in their company. They started their pitch by talking about the low cost of production and the concept of preventing date rapes through drink spiking at clubs and festivals. The pitch was brief because Lori Greiner instantly took a liking to the product.
Mr. Wonderful was the first to ask questions about the sales, to which they responded by saying that it cost only $2.82 to make and they were planning on switching to overseas production, which would further lower the production cost.
Greiner showed more enthusiasm than she ever had for any other product. She offered $60,000 for a 25% stake in the company. She immediately liked that it had a positive social impact and could protect victims of date rape. Greiner added that this was the first time she’d seen a product that brought a positive social impact with it.
She added that she was interested in actively helping the business grow because she believed that Nightcap could have a really good benefit for young women in society. Even Barbara was surprised by Greiner’s positive reaction.
Overall, the Nightcap shark tank review was positive, and they left with a solid deal without much negotiation over the offer. After the episode aired, the product managed to get a lot of sales. They’d already earned $68,000 in sales before coming to Shark Tank because they’d focused on marketing through social media and their website. They managed to generate $2.1 million through sales in the year that they appeared on Shark Tank. With Greiner’s investment, plus later being joined by a popular singer, they were able to expand the color range and production of their product.
Nightcap is most popular in the UK, where drink spiking affects 12% of women there. After the show, the product also appeared on Lori Greiner’s website, which made it very popular, plus Greiner improved the design too. The current business is doing great, and they’re at a net worth valuation of $240,000.
Our Review of Nightcap
We decided to try out Nightcap for ourselves to see how it would fare in real life.
The product is quite affordable as compared to other drink-covering devices. It’s also made of stretchable spandex material, which means that it isn’t restricted to a single glass size and will fit most glasses. It’s also sold with a carry bag and steel straws that you can take with you to a bar or a club.
The bad news is that it still has a straw opening; if you forget to put in a straw that might make it risky to use and still easy to spike. On top of this, it can also be pulled off conveniently. It also doesn’t prevent spillage since the material isn’t waterproof, although it is machine washable.
Pros and Cons of Nightcap
Pros of Nightcap
- Machine-washable
- Stretchable material
- Comes with a carry bag
- Comes with steel straws
- Variety of colors
- Affordable
Cons of Nightcap
- Doesn’t prevent spillage
- Drink can still be spiked through straw opening
Who Is Nightcap for?
Nightcap is mainly for college-going women who like going to parties and festivals and don’t want to worry about their drink being spiked covertly or if they leave it unattended.
Are There Any Alternatives?
Although the design of the product is unique and makes it easy to carry, there are other drink-covering alternatives on the market.
The Festilovers’ Drink Cover is a great alternative to Nightcap. The product comes with a high-quality silicon lid and reusable straw, as well as a hole to prevent pressure from building up inside the glass. It’s designed to prevent your drink from getting spiked and prevent spillage too.
They offer a wide variety of colors, which makes it easy for you to recognize your glass at a club or a festival. It also attaches firmly to your glass and the spillage-preventing design is extremely useful for dancing.
Our Final Thoughts
Drink spiking at clubs is a common phenomenon, and there are other drinks covering cups with attached straws available on the market. Nightcap is unique because the scrunchie design means that you can carry it around on your wrist. However, it might not fit onto every type of glass, and the easy-to-put-on mechanism might also easily be taken off.
