"Great story!" — Shark Tank fans react as Kevin O’Leary reveals investing in Basepaws made him a “fortune”

On March 21, 2025, Kevin O’Leary shared a post on X, about a past business deal with Basepaws he made on Shark Tank. In the post, he described a pitch where a woman offered a cat DNA test for $29. He responded by saying that he can a get a cat for $5. Despite this, she continued to push for a deal, and he agreed to invest $250,000.

Kevin explained that his initial reason for investing was to end the discussion. He later learned that the company was not only focused on selling DNA test kits but was also building a large data platform. He ended the post by saying the firm had a full cash exit three years later, and the deal brought him strong returns.

The caption read:

“A woman pitched me a cat DNA test… for $29. I laughed. I told her, ‘I can buy a new cat for five bucks.’ But she wouldn’t give up. So I wrote a $250K check just to get rid of her."

The caption further said:

"Turns out, she wasn’t in the cat business—she was in the DNA data business. Three years later, all cash exit. I made a fortune."

Fans responded to this post, calling it an "interesting" story.

"Great story!" one tweet read.

"Interesting, I think many times great businesses and ideas fail to sell because the core value proposition wasn't communicated to others effectively, like the 'cat' business vs. the 'DNA data' business," another user commented.

"She played the long game and made him a fortune!" an X user wrote.

"I get why a company wants human DNA data but what's the benefit of cat DNA?" a tweet read.

A few Shark Tank fans related to Kevin’s story, saying they have done the same and called it a “parting gift.”

"When i want to get rid of someone i give them $20. I actually did that at casino, some lady kept standing by my slot machine talking to me so i gave her $20 (to go away) I like to call it a parting gift," a netizen tweeted.

"Don't give up on your dreams!" a fan commented.

"Amazing story!" one fan wrote.

"Wow, what a great story Kevin, thanks for sharing this with us. You never know what can develop from one product," another user wrote.

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Details about the company Basepaws and the Shark Tank deal

The company Kevin referred to in his X post was Basepaws, founded by Anna Skaya. She appeared in Shark Tank season 10, episode 21 that aired on April 28, 2019. Anna introduced Basepaws as a business focused on DNA testing for cats. She was seeking $250,000 in exchange for 5% equity.

The test kits were designed to provide cat owners with insights into their pet’s breed, health risks, and traits through a sample collected at home. During her pitch, Anna explained that each test cost about $25 to produce and retailed for just under $100.

During Shark Tank pitch, Basepaws had generated over $200,000 in revenue. While several sharks, including Lori Greiner and Mark Cuban, decided not to invest due to early sales figures, Kevin O’Leary was intrigued by the margins. He offered $250,000 for 8.3% equity plus 1.7% in advisory shares. Robert Herjavec matched the offer, and Anna convinced them to partner up.

“She came in asking for $250K for 5%. I said no, but somehow she walked out with both Robert and me on board,” Kevin said in the episode.

Since appearing on Shark Tank, Basepaws expanded its offerings and continued to grow. According to a Business Wire report published on December 5, 2022, the company had increased revenue to $3.5 million by season 14, and was acquired by Zoetis in 2022 for over $50 million.

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Watch the latest episode of Shark Tank streaming on ABC.