Who is Lori Cheek? Entrepreneur who faced rejection from all 5 Shark Tank investors in 2014, here's how she refused to give up on her dating startup

Lori Cheek faced rejection from all the five investors on the American television show Shark Tank in 2014. However, the experience did not bring an end to her dating startup, Cheekd. Instead, the appearance gave her business wider exposure, attracted potential investors and pushed her to rethink the technology behind the service.

Cheek founded Cheekd in 2010 as an online dating business built around the idea of helping people connect in real life. She appeared on Shark Tank in 2014, hoping to secure investment from the show's panel of entrepreneurs. None of the five investors agreed to back her business.

The rejection came after years of trying to establish the company. But when the episode aired, Cheekd received an unexpected response from viewers.

What exactly happened?

Cheek's appearance on Shark Tank did not result in an investment deal. The investors turned down her proposal, and the experiences was difficult for the entrepreneur. However, she did not follow their advice to abandon the business.

In an interview published by Entrepreneur, Cheek described how the show's broadcast changed the response to her company. According to her account, Cheekd.com received a record 100,000 unique visitors in the 48 hours after the episode aired in February 2014.

The company also received thousands of emails from viewers who believed the investors had missed an opportunity by rejecting the business. Around 50 of those messages came form people interested in investing, Cheek said.

What was Cheekd all about?

Cheekd was founded in 2010 to help make connections beyond traditional online dating platforms. The idea focused on the possibility of meeting someone in person and then using the service to continue the interaction online.

The business initially used physical cards that people could give to someone they found attractive. These cards contained messages designed to start a conversation, along with a code that recipients could use to find the sender's dating profile online.

Following the television appearance, Cheek said she found an angel investor and business partner who invested more than five time the amount she had sought on Shark Tank.

In her 2016 account, Cheek explained that the revised dating app was designed to address missed connections using technology that had not been available when the original idea was launched in 2010.

What did the Shark Tank rejection mean for her business?

Although she did not secure funding from the five investors, the broadcast helped her reach a larger audience and connect with people who were interested in backing the idea.

The company received new investment, brought in technical expertise and reworked its product after the television appearance.