Noelle has been writing for online publications for over five years with a focus on entertainment and technology, with bylines at CBR, Dexerto, and JustWatch. Her lifelong interest in technology began when her father introduced her to computer games as a child, opening up a new world of innovation.
"Shark Tank" has been the launching point for some great products over the years, with the Squatty Potty and Bombas socks being among the most successful. Some pitches, though, are remembered not because they got a good deal from the Sharks or managed to succeed without their help, but because of the bizarre or unusual nature of the product.
The NoPhone, which appeared in a Season 7 episode, is the perfect example of a"Shark Tank" pitch that falls into the latter category. As its name indicates, the NoPhone isn't a smartphone, but rather a tech-free piece of plastic molded in the shape of one. It was created by entrepreneurs Van Gould, Chris Sheldon, Ben Langeveld, and Ingmar Larsen as a gag gift meant to comment on the, with NoPhone boasting that it does not have a camera, is not Bluetooth compatible, and cannot make calls. However, the NoPhone is shatterproof, waterproof, and toilet bowl resistant, which is nice. Unsurprisingly, the NoPhone didn't get a deal from the Sharks, who were unimpressed by Gould and Sheldon's pitch and were equally unmoved by the Selfie upgrade, which just adds a mirror to the"screen." None of the Sharks made an offer, with Daymond John saying he'd feel"stupid" for putting money into it and Mark Cuban slamming the duo for trying to patent a piece of plastic. However, while the entrepreneurs didn't get the $25,000 for 15% they were looking for, NoPhone's story didn't end with its"Shark Tank" appearance.Ten years after"Shark Tank," NoPhone is still in business. Its website is still operational, and you can purchase NoPhone-branded merchandise there, including T-shirts, baseball caps, and iPhone cases. You can even buy the NoPhone Air, an invisible phone that its store page calls"The Lightest Phone on the market." In other words, it's an empty bag — but it's currently on sale for $6 instead of its usual $9. What you can't get anymore is the NoPhone itself. Both the Original and Selfie models are sold out at the time of this writing, as are NoPhone bundles for couples or families who want to hold something other than their phones together. Nothing on the website indicates the product won't be back, but co-creator Ingmar Larsen said in a January 2026that he had"shipped the last NoPhones from my stock to destinations worldwide" and cited environmental concerns as a reason for discontinuing the plastic product. However, he left the door open for"a new Eco Phone made from biodegradable materials," asking for potential collaborators to get in touch. Regardless of whether the brand has a future, it's hard to say that the NoPhone wasn't a success for what it is. According to Larsen's post, the company has sold over 20,000"phones," which is really a testament to the creators' clever marketing considering their product serves no function other than being a passive aggressive joke for your phone-addicted niece's Christmas stocking.Of the four founders, only Larsen and Sheldon are still active at NoPhone according to their LinkedIn profiles, though all have moved on to other ventures. Larsen is the founder of This Agency, a small advertising service in Amsterdam, and Ben Langeveld, who held the ironic title of Head of Technology, left NoPhone in 2022 and is currently the Creative Director for Dutch PR agency Treffend & Co. As for the duo who appeared on"Shark Tank," Sheldon and Gould have continued to work together on various projects. Since November 2021, the two have served as Creative Directors for Maximum Effort, a production company and marketing agency founded by Ryan Reynolds and George Dewey that, according to,"makes movies, shows, ads, investments and cocktails for the personal amusement of Hollywood Star Ryan Reynolds." In addition to being a producing partner on Reynolds films like"Deadpool & Wolverine" and"Free Guy," the studio makes ads for the actor's other ventures like Mint Mobile (one of theMaximum Effort has proven it is able to quickly produce viral ads, such as one for Peloton that released just three days after the death of Mr. Big on"And Just Like That..." caused the exercise equipment maker's share price to fall. That brand of"fastvertising," as the company calls it, earned Maximum Effort a place on Time's list of the 100 most influential companies of 2025. Most recently,and Sheldon reposted a Super Bowl ad for DoorDash featuring rapper 50 Cent that they had worked on, which seems like a pretty good outcome for a duo who started out marketing a phone-shaped piece of plastic.
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