Last year, Brandon Zavala (B.S. '07, Aviation Administration; MBA '12) never would have thought he’d appear on ABC’s Shark Tank, but then he was invited to participate with his business, Apollo Peak, so he decided to give it a try.
Apollo Peak produces wine for your cats and dogs (but don’t worry, it’s non-alcoholic and made from natural ingredients). Punny names, which Zavala comes up with himself, include Catbernet, White Kittendel, Pinot Meow, Chardognay, and Zinfantail, among others. The company also features Brew Chews, all natural beer grain dog treats, and Fur Loco, another beverage line for cats.
After graduating from WMU, Zavala worked for a pharmaceutical company before taking a job with pet food company. It was there that he began to realize there were many untapped markets for pets, including beverages. Apollo Peak, named after his cat, was launched in 2015 and began to blow up in 2016 after the Huffington Post published an article that went viral.
And then last summer, Zavala filmed an episode for Shark Tank, which aired in April. In the end, he accepted a $100,000 deal from Kevin O’Leary in exchange for 20% of the business. With his Shark Tank success, Zavala began to expand, adding the Brew Chews and Fur Loco product lines.
As a student at WMU, Zavala wanted to be a pilot but ended up receiving his degree in administration. He entered the work force and took advantage of a benefit to have his MBA paid for by his employer. It was during his MBA studies that Zavala says his entrepreneurial spirit really took off. Studying abroad in Chile, Zavala saw scores of new businesses popping up and began to wonder why he wasn’t thinking of new ideas.
Zavala says current students or recent grads with an entrepreneurial spirit need to dedicate themselves to an idea.
“You have random, fun, or new ideas—just keep throwing stuff at the wall and eventually something will stick. That’s what I did, and eventually, something stuck.”
Visit apollopeak.com to learn more.