Radiate has a subtly fulfilling quality. It’s not a unicorn, loud, or attention-grabbing. It’s just a soy-wax campfire in a tin can that, by all accounts, has managed to continue, something that very few Shark Tank products can do. The company’s yearly revenue as of early 2026 is approximately $2 million, and most independent estimates place its net worth between $2.6 and $2.8 million. That’s not money from Scrub Daddy. However, it still exists and is real.
Sometimes you’ll still see the little tin on a shelf, sometimes dusty, sometimes priced at $27.99, sometimes tucked next to citronella candles and bug repellent, whether you walk into a beach shop in San Diego or a camping store in Boulder. Not much has changed with the packaging. It seems as though Radiate decided that stability was sufficient a few years ago and gave up on trying to reinvent itself. That’s practically rebellious in a category that is fixated on growth.
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Company | Radiate Portable Campfire |
| Founders | Bryan Cantrell, Brent Davidson |
| Headquarters | San Diego, California |
| Founded | 2017 |
| Industry | Outdoor recreation / Portable fire products |
| Shark Tank Episode | Season 9, Episode 21 (2018) |
| Original Ask | $50,000 for 20% equity |
| Final Deal | $100,000 for 25% with Robert Herjavec |
| Implied Valuation at Deal | $400,000 |
| Reported Sales (18 months post-show) | $2.1 million |
| Estimated Annual Revenue (2025) | ~$2 million+ |
| Estimated Net Worth (2026) | ~$2.6–2.8 million |
| Retail Footprint at Peak | 1,000+ stores, including Bed Bath & Beyond |
| Current Availability | Direct site, Amazon, Walmart, Uncommon Goods |
| Status | Operational; Bryan Cantrell exited in October 2020 |
The initial agreement still appears to be exceptionally founder-friendly. In 2018, Bryan Cantrell and Brent Davidson entered the market and demanded $50,000 for 20% of the company, valuing it at $250,000. Rather than pressuring them, Robert Herjavec raised the implied valuation to $400,000 by paying $100,000 for 25%. On national television, sharks seldom add value to a business. It’s difficult not to wonder what Herjavec saw in that tin can that the others failed to notice. It was too heavy and uninspired, according to Mark Cuban. The burn time was a concern for Lori Greiner. As if to say, “We’ve already done this one,” Cuban repeatedly gestured to InstaFire, a comparable product from a few seasons prior.
The math rapidly changed after the show aired. Before Herjavec’s intervention, Cantrell stated in a Shark Tank update segment that they had been aiming for $100,000 in first-year sales. That amount skyrocketed to $2.1 million eighteen months later. They were in Bed Bath & Beyond, stocked in what they said were more than 1,000 stores, and had partnered with Night Light Events, a company that organizes sky lantern festivals. Momentum was present. actual momentum. The type that encourages investors to move forward.
The noise then gradually subsided. One of Radiate’s most prominent retail anchors was lost when Bed Bath & Beyond declared bankruptcy and closed. Social media for the brand became mostly silent. After leaving in October 2020, Cantrell went on to work as an executive producer at a studio in San Diego called Dark Gravity. Later, he became a novelist—yes, a pirate time-travel novel, of all things. Davidson appears to have remained in the background and is more difficult to locate online than the actual product. It’s really unclear if he continues to work at Radiate daily.
The way the financial picture has held is even more bizarre. A typical 10% growth assumption pushes the company’s value over $2.6 million, but independent trackers continue to estimate annual revenue above $2 million. There are two ways to read that. Either the numbers being shared are educated guesses masquerading as facts, or Radiate is profiting from passive Amazon traffic and a long tail of camping-curious gift buyers. Most likely a combination of the two. Private businesses are adept at letting others fill in the gaps.
The Amazon reviews are a silent narrative in and of themselves. Some customers adore it—it’s magical, instantly atmospheric, and ideal for the patio. Others complain about the weight, cost, and burn time. One reviewer recommended purchasing firewood for just $4. In a sense, both sides are correct. A real fire could never be replaced by radiation. The idea that you could have a flame without the hassle on a beach, balcony, or in a no-burn campsite was more akin to permission.
That pitch is still effective eight years later, albeit on a smaller scale. The Shark Tank aura has faded. The power of retail has decreased. However, every indication that the business is still operating shows that it is modest, sufficiently profitable, and slowly burning. After the cameras leave, most Shark Tank successes seem to look like this. Not a rocket. It’s just a little tin can doing precisely what it was supposed to.