Mark Cuban And A Guest Shark Hope To Hit A Home Run With Investment In 8-Year-Old's Baseball Glove Startup

Most 8-year-olds are busy navigating third grade, playing sports or dreaming about what they want to be when they grow up. Gavin Batarse is meeting with billionaires like Mark Cuban and running a company. 

Batarse and his family recently appeared on "Shark Tank" to pitch Glove Wrap, his product that helps baseball players break in a stiff glove. They're tackling a problem that's impacted little leaguers and softball players for decades: how to get a new glove to feel like it's been in the field for years. 

As part of his pitch, Batarse showcased his ingenuity, saying, "My dad and I just bought me a new glove, and we were going to use the old-fashioned way to break it in with rubber bands, but we didn't have enough," he said. "So I found a piece of rubber that my dad used when he hurt his leg and I asked him if we can wrap the entirety of the glove with it."

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Batarse also shared the company's impressive sales numbers, including the profit margins and other data, saying, "We have sold over 1,000 Glove Wraps. Lifetime sales are over $19,000 [since launching in 2022]," he said. "It costs us $3 [including all expenses] to make. We sell it for $19.99 retail and $10 wholesale."

The potential market for the Glove Wrap is massive, spanning millions of kids, college players and potentially Major League Baseball teams. Batarse and his family said they would use potential shark funding to place the product with retailers like Dick's Sporting Goods and other outlets that attract baseball players and their families. 

The product and sales pitch piqued the interest of Mark Cuban, who knows the sports market as owner of the Dallas Mavericks NBA franchise. He is also the father of three kids and tries to spend as much quality time with them as possible. 

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"What I was thinking is all of the baseball teams in the country, minor league and professional in particular, would want their own to give to their players and to give away to their fans. So instead of selling one at a time, you could sell a bunch at a time," Cuban said of Glove Wrap's potential.

Cuban and guest judge Michael Rubin agreed to invest $50,000 for a 22% equity stake in Glove Wrap, an offer Batarse and his family members eagerly accepted. Rubin, founder and CEO of sports retailer Fanatics said, "I believe you're going to be a winner, and I want to be able to invest in anything you do in the future."

Batarse isn't the first child to score a "Shark Tank" offer. In 2020, then-13-year-old Sofi Overton negotiated a $35,000 investment offer from Lori Greiner and Daymond John for her "socks with pockets" company Wise Pocket Products. At the time of the deal, fellow shark Barbara Corcoran posted on X, formerly Twitter, saying,  "I always love to see a #kidtrepreneur in the tank. It's an advantage to start your business when you're young. You have nothing to lose and nowhere to go but up."

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