The Clean Bottle

The Clean Bottle solves a small but real annoyance: the bottom of most reusable water bottles is impossible to reach, so it traps grime, mold, and stale residue. Founder Dave Mayer designed a bottle that unscrews at both the top and the bottom, so the whole inside opens up for easy cleaning and drying. A cyclist and triathlete from the Oakland area, Mayer built the product around an everyday problem he kept running into himself.

Mayer asked the sharks for 60,000 dollars in exchange for just 5 percent, a confident, low equity offer that signaled he already had momentum. He came in with strong sales numbers, which got the room's attention. Mark Cuban liked the product and the traction and made a deal at 60,000 dollars for 8 percent, a small bump in equity that kept Mayer firmly in control of his company.

The Clean Bottle stood out because it fixed an obvious flaw nobody else had bothered to solve cleanly, and because Mayer paired a simple idea with real distribution. The two open ends design was easy to demonstrate and easy to remember, which made it a natural fit for retail shelves and for the post show sales surge that followed.

Mark Cuban's endorsement and the national exposure pushed sales sharply higher, and the brand expanded well beyond the original plastic bottle into stainless steel bottles, tumblers, mugs, and infused water designs. The wider lineup helped Clean Bottle move from a single clever product into a broader hydration brand sold through its own site and major retailers.

The company changed hands over the years, with reported ownership moves to a private investment firm and later to another buyer, and it continues to sell under a refreshed identity tied to the Clean Hydration name. As of 2026 Clean Bottle products remain available, making it one of the Season 3 deals that kept going long after the episode aired.