Whatever Happened To No Fly Cone After Shark Tank Season 4?
Bruce Gaither thought of the idea for his fly trap, No Fly Cone, because of his work with horses. Unlike regular fly strips, the adhesive trap is inside the cone so that you don't have to see the flies stuck on the No Fly Cone. After spending a lot of time in barns, Gaither became sick of constantly swatting at flies. In 2012, Gaither told his story to the investors on "Shark Tank." "The reason I came up with this is because my office is the barn, which is haunted by flies because of the dogs and the horses. So I designed an all-natural fly trap," Gaither explained to the Sharks.
To catch as many flies as possible, Gaither suggested placing the No Fly Cone directly over horse or dog excrement. This attracts the flies inside the cone, where they will get stuck and die. While Gaither may have been used to cleaning up after horses, the Sharks seemed shocked by the way this product works. Still, Gaither believed his product was a revolution for fly traps. "With your investment and your connections, we can make No Fly Cone the trusted standard for controlling flies in no time," he said.
A celebrity comes out to support No Fly Cone on Shark Tank
The founder of No Fly Cone went into the tank with a modest ask, hoping for a $25,000 investment in exchange for 15% of his company. After hearing that No Fly Cone uses dog or horse feces as the insect attractant, the Sharks became extremely skeptical of the product. Daymond John was confused about why the feces wouldn't be cleaned up in the first place to avoid attracting flies. "You're kind of creating the problem by leaving the poop outside, aren't you?" John asked Bruce Gaither.
In the middle of the pitch, Seth MacFarlane, creator of "Family Guy," walked up behind Gaither. MacFarlane explained that Gaither taught him to ride horses, and he was there to support his friend. Though Gaither hoped MacFarlane's presence would help sell No Fly Cone, it took the focus off the product. The comedian continued to imitate voices of characters and make jokes, but admitted he never used the product. When Gaither revealed he'd only sold 3,000 No Fly Cones in the last year, the Sharks were unimpressed. Not a single Shark offered Gaither a deal, and No Fly Cone left the tank without an investor. "I blame myself," MacFarlane said after the last Shark went out.
What happened to No Fly Cone after Shark Tank?
Though No Fly Cone's appearance on the show was rather funny because of Seth MacFarlane's jokes, it wasn't enough to push the company to success. Without a deal from one of the Sharks, Bruce Gaither was left to his own devices after his "Shark Tank" episode aired. The company began selling the unique fly traps on its website, which seemed to have consistent technological issues. Gaither did not give up and eventually developed a partnership with ACE Hardware to sell No Fly Cone in some of their locations.
The company continued to sporadically update its fans and customers on Facebook, claiming that No Fly Cone traps would catch flies where they breed. For a period of time, Gaither's fly traps were also sold on Amazon. Despite not impressing the Sharks, Gaither continued to work on his business and promote No Fly Cone by himself.
Is No Fly Cone still in business?
Unfortunately, Bruce Gaither's fly trap business fizzled out by the end of 2016. No Fly Cone's website is no longer accessible and the product cannot be found anywhere on Amazon or ACE Hardware's website. The company stopped updating its Facebook page in April of 2016. No Fly Cone's last Facebook post claimed the website had been down but was now working again, though the comments seemed frustrated with the company's technical problems and questioned if it was still in business.
Despite Gaither's devotion to his fly-catching invention, it never seemed to become a big success. Gaither may have brought a celebrity with him into the tank, but the exposure wasn't enough to sustain No Fly Cone as a business. Though his LinkedIn page still lists Gaither as the CEO of No Fly Cone, it is very clear that the company is no longer operating and the product is nowhere to be found online.
What's next for Bruce Gaither?
Since No Fly Cone is no longer in business, Gaither likely still works with his horses. While No Fly Cone was still operating, Gaither acted as a riding consultant for Seth MacFarlane in his film, "A Million Ways to Die in the West," which came out in 2014. In 2017, Gaither began posting about a new start-up, Magna Key Clip, on his personal Facebook page.
The Kickstarter campaign for Gaither's new product, a magnetic key ring, only received $201 from eight people and was canceled within a month of opening. It's unclear if Gaither ever manufactured any Magna Key Clips. On the Kickstarter page, Gaither briefly mentioned No Fly Cone and claimed that it was taken over by a company in Australia, called Pestrol. Though he made it onto "Shark Tank" once, Gaither's inventions don't seem to prove successful with consumers and are no longer on the market.