Alumnus receives an offer on "Shark Tank"

Alumnus Jason Grohowski heard the words he was hoping for: "I'd like to make you an offer."

Grohowski and his business partner, Mike Bolos, pitched their invention for a stand-up desk on the television show "Shark Tank" and received an offer from entrepreneur Kevin O'Leary.

During the May 5 episode, Grohowski, '12, and Bolos described their invention, a window-mounted product that can serve as a standing desk, side table, floating shelf or book shelf. They were seeking $150,000 for a 7.5 percent stake in their company.

O'Leary, known as "Mr. Wonderful," offered them $150,000 but wanted 20 percent. They took the deal.

See them make their pitch on Shark Tank.

Originally from Alpena, Grohowski moved to Chicago after he graduated from Grand Valley with a bachelor's degree in finance. He was working in commercial real estate when he met Bolos in 2017.

"Mike had an initial rough concept of the product," Grohowski said. "We spent nights and weekends working on it and then we used a firm to help us design a final product. From there, we raised money through a Kickstarter campaign."

They were also offered a deal from inventor and entrepreneur Lori Greiner, but she wanted to be an equal partner in the business.

For more information about DeskView, visit deskview.co