What Happened To Fun Cakes After Shark Tank?

Alongside purchasing your first car, buying a house, and having a baby, getting married is perhaps one of the biggest life experiences. Except, of course, being allowed to go to a toy store as a kid — nothing could ever top that.

There's a lot of preparation needed to make sure weddings go off without a hitch; cheesy songs to choose, all those chairs to organize, and not to mention strategically positioning family members so that nobody starts a fight. But there are also the expenses, such as a ring, smart clothes, and a cake – and they can add up quickly. The Knot estimates the average U.S. wedding costs $34,000 — think of all the childhood toys that could be bought with that.

That's where Fun Cakes comes into play. The company was featured on Episode 606 of "Shark Tank," with mother and son entrepreneurs Kimberly and Koray Aya bidding for an investment to help them take the company to new heights. But how much money did they request, were their efforts successful, and what happened to Fun Cakes afterward?

Fun Cakes was created in 2007 with the intention of intercepting the lucrative wedding industry by renting out comparatively cheap cakes filled with styrofoam. Obviously, styrofoam is unlikely to make a particularly tasty or filling cake no matter how much sugar is piled onto it; but the cakes are designed for display rather than eating.

Covered in fondant and gum paste, the fake cakes look like the real deal, and have slots in the back where genuine, basic, and cheaper cakes can be served to guests. The Knot approximates the average U.S. wedding cake costs around $500, so false cakes would appear to be a cheaper alternative. Plus, with roughly more than two million weddings occurring in America every year, surely there was an investment opportunity?

When Kimberly and Koray appeared on "Shark Tank" they requested $285,000 for a 25% stake in Fun Cakes. The Sharks, however, didn't buy into the concept. Even though Kimberly and Koray reported revenues of $150,000 and a deal to supply 200 Jewel-Osco stores, the investors thought their revenue should have been higher and failed to see enough potential. None of the Sharks chose to invest.

Getting rejected by all the investors on "Shark Tank” couldn't have been a "fun" experience, but despite the setback, Fun Cakes carried on — and if the prices of its cakes are any indication (ranging anywhere from $249 to $550 according to their website), quite a lot of money could have been made, too. Fun Cakes further persevered during COVID-19, overcoming the disruption of cake rentals by allowing customers to keep the cakes they ordered.

Fun Cakes has stocked its designs in stores operated by SpartanNash in Michigan, and is selling a three-tiered cake in 180 Jewel Osco stores in Illinois. In addition to appearing on "Shark Tank," Fun Cakes has been featured on "The Today Show," CNN, "GMA," "Rachel Ray," and one of the cakes was used on the set of Netflix series "Never Have I Ever," among other media. They have amassed a following of thousands on their Facebook and Instagram accounts, but more impressively — Fun Cakes currently has an annual revenue of $1.1 million. Perhaps the Sharks swam away from an opportunity too soon?