FunkkOFF! Rye Exec Swims In A 'Shark Tank' And Her Smile Looks Great

SEE UPDATE: FunkkOff! Rye Entrepreneur Dives Into The 'Shark Tank,' Bags A Whale

RYE, NY — The inspiration for the patented invention was at a high-end Napa wine tasting, but the story of FunkkOFF! started years earlier when two Catholic school girls met in seventh grade.

The patented invention that brought the pair to present an "elevator pitch" to the judges on the hit ABC show "Shark Tank," makes so much sense, it might just make you ask yourself, "why didn't I think of that?"

Inventor Joelle Slye Flynn told Patch that inspiration struck much like the apple that conked Isaac Newton on the head, or in this case, it was a grape (specifically in the form of an earthy Cab Franc with lingering orchard notes) that ignited the spark for her "Ah ha!" moment.

"I love my red wine, but I love my white teeth more," Flynn explained. "I was going to a lot of wine tastings at the time and one thing I would always do is carry a full-on toothbrush and toothpaste with me. One day, I was brushing my teeth between wineries and I just thought, 'this is too much.'"

Flynn said that everything clicked as she looked in the mirror to apply her specially chosen lipstick. She decided that she needed something compact like the lipstick, but for her teeth. When Flynn got home, she immediately began designing and invented the very first prototype.

"I actually ripped the round head off my electric toothbrush and taped it to a chapstick tube," Flynn said. "We've come a long way since then."

As Flynn was working on the product design and obtaining multiple U.S. and international patents, she knew she needed her longtime friend Sonia Hounsell to help bring her idea to market — a job that just happens to be Hounsell's specialty. She has helped to launch more than 30 products during her 25-year brand marketing career and a new partnership was born.

Hounsell said that launching a new product is a whole different ballgame when it's your own company.

"For one, the budget isn't big, " Hounsell explained. "But, it feels special to be part of something that you're so close to every step along the way."

Hounsell said because she didn't have the big marketing budget that she has had in the past, FunkkOFF! relied on more of a guerrilla-style marketing campaign.

"We built a loyal following on social media," Hounsell told Patch. "That's part of why the 'Shark Tank' producers reached out to us, I think."

Flynn and Hounsell can't talk about how their appearance on the "Shark Tank" episode filmed last summer went just yet. The pair say they shared a glass of red wine with the judges (with a nod to the origins of FunkkOFF!) to celebrate their appearance on Friday's episode. Promotional stills provided by ABC show the celebrity "sharks" intently discussing the product's valuable patents.

While FunkkOFF! had its origins in a love for red wine, the handy and reusable smile-refreshing product is by no means limited to wine drinkers.

"We like to say, 'refreshing your teeth back to white from your morning coffee to your red wine at night,'" Hounsell said. "And that includes every meal and snack in between."

The FunkkOFF! co-founders say that the reception for the product so far has exceeded their wildest expectations and even tapped some unexpected markets.

"Customers love it for travel," Flynn said. "It is TSA-approved."

In addition to its convenient size, FunkkOff! has a few other key selling points for those on the go who want to keep their teeth looking perfect. The multi-patented FunkkOFF! TeethRefreshers are billed as the only 2-in-1 toothbrush+toothpaste product that’s reusable (up to 30 times) to keep smiles fresh and white. FunkkOff! only uses gluten-free, fluoride-free, BPA-free, cruelty-free and vegan components and ingredients.

No matter what the sharks' decision, it seems certain that FunkkOFF! will have a bright future, full of bright smiles.

Westchester resident Sonia Hounsell, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, and sevnenth-grade classmate Joelle Flynn, serial entrepreneur and founder of FunkkOFF! TeethRefreshers, will make the Sharks sip red wine and get the 'funkk' off! this Friday at 8 p.m., on ABC.