CATE, short for “Call and Text Eraser,” was a smartphone app built to hide selected calls and text messages. Neal Desai pitched it on Shark Tank in September 2012, and the on-air deal did not close afterward. The app is no longer available to download, and the business is reported to be out of business.
What CATE was built to do
CATE was marketed as a personal privacy tool. ABC’s archived episode description for the CATE segment introduced it this way: “Meet CATE your personal Call and Text Eraser app utilized for protection, security, and privacy.” The same page described the product as technology “designed to help YOU keep a secret.” The description is attributed to the segment itself rather than to a named speaker, so it should be cited as ABC’s archived episode material, not as a founder quote. (ABC archived episode material)
The app drew attention because its core function, hiding communications, was easy to read as a tool for concealing an affair. Later coverage describes it as carrying a “cheater’s app” reputation. That reputation came from how the feature was presented and interpreted, not from anything in the product description itself. (BGR retrospective, republished on Yahoo Tech)
The pitch, the offer, and the deal
Desai asked the Sharks for $50,000 in exchange for 5% equity. Kevin O’Leary and Daymond John countered with an offer of $70,000 for 35%, and Desai accepted it on camera.
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That on-air acceptance is the part that aired. Reporting that followed the episode says the investment was never finalized. A business-update database lists the pitch as “Got deal,” which reflects the televised agreement, while the BGR retrospective states plainly that the deal did not finalize. Both can be true at once: a televised agreement is a verbal commitment on camera, and the paperwork and funding steps that normally follow it are a separate stage. No available source confirms that O’Leary or John became investors in CATE, so do not describe them as such.
- Stage one, televised acceptance: Desai accepted a $70,000-for-35% offer on air. (Shark Tank Companies business update)
- Stage two, closing: Reporting says the deal was never finalized. (BGR retrospective)
Air date and episode numbering
The Shark Tank Companies episode listing dates the pitch to September 21, 2012. (Season 4 episode listing) An ABC archive page for the segment is labeled “Season 4, Episode 1.” Those labels do not match, so if you need to cite an episode number, use the episode listing and cite ABC only for its description of the product.
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What happened after the show
Post-episode performance is the least certain part of CATE’s record. The figures below come from secondary publications, and none has been audited or independently confirmed.
| Figure | Reported value | Attribution and timing |
|---|---|---|
| Downloads after the episode | 10,000 | BGR retrospective (2026), via Yahoo Tech |
| Subscribers at the pitch | About 5,500 | Shark Tank Archive profile, undated page that places the figure in its 2012 timeline (Shark Tank Archive) |
| Revenue at the pitch | About US$27,000 | Same Shark Tank Archive page; not an audited statement |
After the initial attention, the business faded. The Shark Tank Archive profile says CATE’s website and social accounts went dark and the company became inactive. The BGR retrospective says the app later disappeared from app stores.
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The federal marketing attempt
BGR reports that Desai tried to market CATE to federal agencies as a confidentiality app, and that the effort produced no lasting result. No government source or founder statement in available reporting confirms an agency contract or adoption, so do not imply that any agency used the app.
Is the CATE app still available?
No. CATE is reported as no longer available to download. Shark Tank Companies lists the business as out of business and shows no website or Amazon listing. CB Insights describes the company and notes that its official social account had gone dormant. (Shark Tank Companies; CB Insights)
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If you are looking for a way to block unwanted calls or texts today, the blocking and spam-filtering settings built into your phone’s operating system cover the same everyday need. They do not hide messages the way CATE was marketed to, and none of them carries CATE’s history.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What remains unestablished
- Closure date: No available source gives an exact date for the company’s closure, so do not infer one from the app’s disappearance.
- Investor status: No source confirms that the Sharks’ offer closed.
- Government use: The federal marketing effort is reported without a confirmed contract or adoption.
- Financial figures: The download, subscriber, and revenue numbers are unaudited secondary reports.
CATE’s story is a short one: a televised offer, a deal that never closed, and a product that faded after its audience moved on. Its afterlife is mostly the “cheater’s app” label, which is a reputation rather than a record of what the product did.
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