Lumio

Lumio is a portable lamp shaped like a hardcover book that opens to reveal a warm, glowing light. Crafted with a wooden cover and folding paper pages, it can hang on a wall via a magnetic spine, stand on a table, or fold flat to slip into a bag, working as both lighting and a design object. It was created by Max Gunawan, a former architect in San Francisco who left his career to build beautifully engineered, space-saving products.

Gunawan walked into Shark Tank Season 6 asking for $250,000 for 8 percent and triggered a bidding frenzy, with all five sharks competing for the deal. Offers flew in from across the panel, including royalty structures and a large line of credit, but Gunawan chose Robert Herjavec, agreeing to a revised $350,000 for 10 percent. The intensity of the competition made it one of the more memorable lighting pitches in the show's history.

Lumio stood out because it blended craftsmanship, clever engineering, and genuine surprise into a single demo, the kind that makes everyone in the room lean forward. Gunawan's calm, designerly presentation contrasted with the frenzy his product set off, and the elegance of a lamp that unfolds like a book gave the segment a wow factor that pure utility products rarely achieve.

Although Gunawan accepted Robert Herjavec's offer on air, the partnership ultimately never closed after filming, so Lumio went on without a shark investor. Even so, the national exposure boosted the brand, and Gunawan continued building the company independently, adding new designs and steadily widening where the lamps were sold.

As of 2026 Lumio is still operating and selling a family of portable lamps and a Bluetooth speaker through its website and a network of retailers, including design shops and museum stores worldwide. The brand has kept its focus on premium, foldable lighting, and Gunawan has expanded the original book lamp into several variations and sizes over the years.