NoPhone left Shark Tank without a deal. Its founders continued the phone-shaped plastic novelty through crowdfunding campaigns and product variants, but reports do not establish whether the company still operates or whether the fake phone is currently available.
What was NoPhone?
NoPhone was a phone-shaped piece of plastic: a novelty for people who wanted something phone-like in their hand without a working device. It was cultural commentary and a gag product, not an electronic phone or a validated treatment for smartphone overuse. The company also offered NoPhone ZERO, a simpler branded variant, and NoPhone Selfie, which included an adhesive mirror. Shark Tank Blog’s recap attributes this description to the original Kickstarter page: “The NoPhone is a technology-free alternative to constant hand-to-phone contact that allows you to stay connected with the real world.” SlashGear also covers the product and its variants.
What happened on Shark Tank?
Founders Van Gould and Chris Sheldon pitched NoPhone, but none of the Sharks invested. The Shark Tank Blog recap says they sought $25,000 for 25% equity; other online recaps disagree about the ask and sometimes the episode number, so neither detail should be treated as settled without consulting the original episode record. Shark Tank Blog’s pitch recap also reports that Mark Cuban criticized the idea’s patents. SlashGear attributes this line to Cuban: “There’s only one thing I hate more than people staring at their phones, and that’s dumb patents.” That article is the source for the quote; check the episode video if exact transcript accuracy matters.
How did NoPhone continue after the show?
The founders pursued additional crowdfunding campaigns. SlashGear reports the following goals and results:
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#1 Best Overall
- [Safe and Durable Baby Cell Phone] - Suitable for children to have a pretend play phone that looks like the real phone, using high-quality plastic, looking no difference to glass screen, will not harm the eyes. The screen won't break easily. Just hand it to your kids, preventing damages to your real phone
- [Tested Safe Material] - Dummy fake phone is made of high quality aluminum alloy frame and ABS plastic screen, the buttons can be pressed, but the sim card slot can not be pulled out.
- [1:1 Imitation] - Dummy fake phone not only has the same feel, look, size, color and weight as the real cell Phone, but also can be matched with the standard phone case. Really realistic but you could still tell differences to real phone!
- [Outstanding Props] - The realistic appearance is perfect for photographic props, without worrying about losing it or damgages. Ideal for photographers and videographers.
- [Cell Phone Store Display] - Could be used as a tryout item in the cell phone accessories store. Dummy fake phone can be a perfect replacement for the real phone. No batteries needed.
| Campaign | Funding goal | Reported amount raised |
|---|---|---|
| First NoPhone campaign | $30,000 | $10,021 |
| Model pitched on Shark Tank | $5,000 | More than $18,000 |
| NoPhone ZERO | $500 | More than $1,200 |
| NoPhone Air, 2016 | $500 | $563 |
These campaign figures are reported by SlashGear. The same article says co-creator Ben Langeveld’s personal website reported that NoPhone had shipped more than 10,000 phones “to date.” That is an attributed cumulative claim; the article gives no date for the underlying figure or period covered, and it is not an annual sales number or an independently audited count.
Is NoPhone still in business?
NoPhone’s current operating status is unclear. A tracker published in July 2025 labels the company out of business and says it is not on Amazon. Shark Tank Companies is the source for that status. Earlier accounts conflict about the product’s online availability: Shark Tank Blog’s update, referring to August 2024, said the website was down but the product was available on Amazon. SlashGear’s November 2024 article described prices on a NoPhone site and said the Amazon brand page showed a T-shirt as its only product.
Rank #2
- [Safe and Durable Prop Phone] - Suitable for use in role-playing games. It is made of high-quality plastic, with a glass screen that looks identical to a real one and won't hurt the eyes. The screen is not easy to break.
- [High Quality Material] - Dummy fake phone is made of high quality aluminum alloy frame and ABS plastic screen, the buttons can be pressed, but the sim card slot can not be pulled out.
- [1:1 Imitation] - Dummy fake phone not only has the same feel, look, size, color and weight as the real cell Phone, but also can be matched with the standard phone case.
- [Outstanding Props] - The realistic appearance is perfect for photographic props, without worrying about losing it or damgages. Ideal for photographers and videographers.
- [Cell Phone Store Display] - Could be used as a tryout item in the cell phone accessories store. Dummy fake phone can be a perfect replacement for the real phone.
Those reports do not confirm active production or current stock. In particular, a brand page displaying a T-shirt does not establish that the fake phone itself is available. The most supportable conclusion is that NoPhone pursued crowdfunding and variants after its unsuccessful pitch, but its present business status and product availability have not been confirmed.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- [Safe and Durable Prop Phone] - Suitable for use in role-playing games. It is made of high-quality plastic, with a glass screen that looks identical to a real one and won't hurt the eyes. The screen is not easy to break.
- [High Quality Material] - Dummy fake phone is made of high quality aluminum alloy frame and ABS plastic screen, the buttons can be pressed, but the sim card slot can not be pulled out.
- [1:1 Imitation] - Dummy fake phone not only has the same feel, look, size, color and weight as the real cell Phone, but also can be matched with the standard phone case.
- [Outstanding Props] - The realistic appearance is perfect for photographic props, without worrying about losing it or damgages. Ideal for photographers and videographers.
- [Cell Phone Store Display] - Could be used as a tryout item in the cell phone accessories store. Dummy fake phone can be a perfect replacement for the real phone.
Rank #4
- Designated Purpose 1 – Substitute your real cell phone to kids or children that want a phone so badly but is still too young to have one. So we amended the material into ABS plastic instead of Glass to make it a safer item for kids.
- Designated Purpose 2 – Party surprises, phone collection, children toys or other entertaining purposes.
- Designated Purpose 3 – Cell phone store / Phone accessories store display use, thanks to its metallic frame and identical weight, it is perfect to try out phone cases or other accessories.
- Material – Premium aluminum frame and ABS plastic screen, identical weight as original phone, keys could be pressed but sim card slot could not be pulled out.
- This product is merely designed and distributed for purposes listed above, it does not work, does not come with original retail package or any accessories. Comes without any logo or trademark, which would not affect this product to fullfill designated purposes. It is realistic, but one shall easily distinguish between the original phone and this product.
Rank #3
- 1:1 Simulation - The simulated fake phone is the same as the real phone in terms of feel, appearance, size, color and weight
- Safe and durable mobile phone - Made of high quality plastic, no different in appearance from glass screen, won't hurt your eyes. The screen will not break easily
- High quality materials - Counterfeit phones are made of high quality aluminum alloy frame and ABS plastic screen with push buttons
- Excellent props - Realistic appearance is perfect for magic and photography props, no worry about loss or damage
- Cell phone store dispaly stand - Can be used as a test case for cell phone accessory stores. Fake cell phone can be a perfect substitute for real cell phone
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
