Exclusive: Watch This Entrepreneur's Emotional Shark Tank Pitch Before It Airs on TV Growing up, life was anything but a bed of roses for this ambitious Texas inventor. Find out how his journey led him from mattress-cleaning to the Tank, before the next episode airs this Friday.
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
When CleanSleep founder and CEO Michael Ingle was only 14, he ran away from home and never looked back.
At the time, he had just $120 to his name. He spent $80 of it to travel to San Antonio, Texas, where he hoped to make a fresh start. All he had were the clothes on his back and a trash bag's worth of possessions.
That was a long time ago. Now in his mid-30s, Ingle finds himself walking another brave path alone -- this time, down the infamous hallway to face the "Sharks" on ABC's hit show Shark Tank, in which entrepreneurs pitch their startup ideas to the likes of Barbara Corcoran, Mark Cuban and Kevin O'Leary.
Related: Shark Tank's Barbara Corcoran: 'All the Best Things Happened to Me on the Heels of Rejection
It's sink or swim time.
On stage, under the hot lights, Ingle nervously waxes salesman-like. He's quick to boast about his startup's proprietary mattress-cleaning tech, claiming it's 99.9 percent effective at killing bacteria, viruses, dust mites, mold spores and bed bugs.
He may have his pitch down cold, but is it squeaky clean enough to land him in bed with a Shark? Will he tuck in the investment he needs to take his entrepreneurial dreams to the next level? Will the Sharks bite?
Check out this exclusive Shark Tank sneak peek to see Ingle's emotional pitch. To find out of if the Sharks take a chance on him -- and to see the full episode -- tune in to your local ABC station this Friday, Feb. 19 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
Related: Daymond John: How to Use the Power of Broke to Build Your Business
