Rejected by Shark Tank, Rent A Grandma finds success in Japan

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Transcript

00:00Coming up, a journalist who thinks he's got what it takes to be the next mogul of childcare.

00:06Let's see if his pitch can impress the Sharks.

00:09Sharks, what if I told you the next big thing in childcare isn't some flashy app or an overpriced nanny service?

00:17It's grandma. And not just any grandma. A rentable one.

00:22Think warm cookies, life wisdom, notice...

00:24It's one of the worst ideas I've ever seen. I'm out.

00:27Come again?

00:28Cute idea. I'm out.

00:29I mean, I really think you should reconsider.

00:31Still with me?

00:32Good, because this pitch actually happened on Shark Tank.

00:35And spoiler alert, it went just about as well as that.

00:38In 2012, Todd Pliss walked into Shark Tank with cookies, wisdom, and a bold idea.

00:43Rent a grandma.

00:45With the whole premise of why hire a distracted teen babysitter when you could get a cookie-baking, phone-free, life-experienced grandma.

00:51Now, of course, the idea was denied, but flash-forward a decade to Japan, where the idea is thriving.

00:57Introducing OK Grandma, a service where you can rent a grandma for cleaning, babysitting, cooking, or just good company.

01:03And this is starting to sound really familiar.

01:05Over 100 women aged 60 to 94 signed up.

01:09You can even book one to sit in on a family gathering or just walk you through a tough chat.

01:13But why does this idea work so well in Japan?

01:15An aging population and the cultural value of trying to find purpose in life.

01:19These grandmas aren't just working for income, they're working for meaning.

01:23So did Shark Tank miss out? Maybe.

01:25But Rent a Grandma found its groove elsewhere, proving that maybe those big ideas just need a different audience.

01:30Let us know what you think of the comments and follow us here for more.