Quid Novi to explore ‘Shark Tank’ benefits

LOVELAND — Sarah Rundle, the Fort Collins entrepreneur who started Truffle Shuffle with the help of the “Shark Tank” television program, will join the Quid Novi thought-leader group for its September showcase to discuss how the show benefited her organization and how others might access its benefits.

The reality TV show, which will begin its 17th season next Wednesday on ABC — locally KMGH-TV Channel 7 — features five investors or sharks who each week hear pitches from companies that would like to have investment help. The sharks, if they like an idea, are willing to put cash into the fledgling company, but the catch is that the sharks also want a piece of the action, a share of the stock.

Companies accepted onto the show to pitch receive multiple benefits: They gain national exposure for their idea or company, they might gain a cash infusion, they almost always receive some feedback about their idea or advice on how to develop it more successfully, and they join a network of Shark Tank alumni that often stands ready to provide advice and counsel.

Multiple companies from Northern Colorado have made it onto the show during its 16 seasons. Including Longmont-based GoodLove Foods, Honey Bunchies and HiccAway — and Rundle’s Truffle Shuffle.

A true “Jill-of-all-Trades,” Rundle has blended creativity, entrepreneurship and community service throughout her career. She began in hospitality bartending during college in San Francisco, then moved into the world of Michelin-starred restaurants, including The French Laundry, Coi and Benu. She explored winemaking in the Napa Valley, consulted for a luxury caviar brand and undertook a photo documentary project on the Apollo Space Shuttle engines.

In 2018, Rundle co-founded a fresh truffle brand with two colleagues from The French Laundry to bring transparency to a traditionally opaque industry. When the pandemic struck in 2020, she pivoted the business by launching online cooking classes using truffle products, reaching 150,000 people with recipes and on-demand content.

Truffle Shuffle grew from three employees to 50, appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show, and earned a Shark Tank deal with Mark Cuban for more than $500,000. Butcher Box acquired Truffle Shuffle, and Rundle shifted her focus to community impact, working with the pediatric medical nonprofit Little Wishes, a former fundraising client of Truffle Shuffle.

Quid Novi, the thought-leader organization in Northern Colorado that attempts to shed light on innovations, will join with Rundle in the discussion of Shark Tank on Sept. 30 in the Collaboratory Room just east of Grimm Brothers Brewery in Building B at The Forge in Loveland, a center for innovation created on the former Hewlett-Packard campus at 815 14th St. SW.

Quid Novi, which is Latin for “what’s new,” hosts showcases on the last Tuesday of each month. A $20 admission is charged, which includes hors d’oeuvres. Drinks will be available for purchase. The group, founded in 2010 by Fort Collins resident Rick Griggs, seeks to cross boundaries for innovation and collaboration while encouraging participants to think and discover new ideas.

More information and pre-registration can be found at QuidNovi.io.

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