What Happened To The MirMir Photo Booth From Shark Tank Season 9?

By News Update On Dec 21, 2024

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Photo booths have been around for almost a century, and yet these photo-capturing machines have been so slow in innovation that we still get cringy and unflattering pictures nowadays. However, one company has been trying to change that by offering photo booths with proprietary software designed to enhance not only the user experience, but also the quality of digital and print photos.

MirMir — pronounced like “mirror, mirror” — is an on-demand professional photography company that offers rentable photo booths with image-enhancing software. The brand isn’t exactly new, since it was founded by former fashion photographer Ryan Glenn and his friend Sean Spencer in 2013, but it’s been getting a lot of attention lately due to its growing celebrity following.

Before the newfangled business got famous, however, its co-founders decided to take a chance at winning an investor by appearing on “Shark Tank” Season 9 because they were struggling to grow the company. Interestingly, though Glenn and Spencer initially got what they wanted from their appearance on the show, it was not the promised investment that made MirMir what it is today.

What happened to Mirmir on ‘Shark Tank’?

During their appearance on Season 9, Glenn and Spencer revealed that they only had nine machines, and each set them back $22,000. They had already invested as much as $250,000 in MirMir’s operations, but it was not enough to help diversify its clientele and expand the business beyond New York and Los Angeles. Hence, they asked for $350,000 in exchange for a 10% stake in their company, according to Shark Tank Recap.

Even though Glenn revealed that their revenue for the first three years crossed the $4 million mark, most of the Sharks were not sold on the idea. Mark Cuban and Daymond John passed on the deal because they believed it wouldn’t last long in the industry, considering the rapid technological advancements in photography. Lori Greiner, on the other hand, thought it would be better for MirMir to stick to its premium market.

Kevin O’Leary showed interest, but wanted to tweak the terms presented by the pair; offering the $350,000 as a loan and asking for an 18% interest in return, plus a 5% stake. Robert Herjavec — who recognized the brand since he had used the photo booth for his 2016 wedding to wife Kym Johnson — right away said he wanted 50% ownership. Glenn and Spencer responded that they could only cut a deal of 20% equity, prompting Herjavec to change his offer to $700,000 for a 20% stake. The pair took Herjavec’s offer in the end.

Mirmir’s deal with Robert Herjavec fell through, but the company flourished

Robert Herjavec smiling on the red carpet

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Sadly, the hugs and handshakes between the MirMir co-founders and Herjavec did not lead anywhere, since the deal fell through after taping the episode. There are no details on why this happened, but it’s not uncommon for deals to collapse after filming. A Forbes survey even found that about 43% of business owners who appeared on the show did not see their deals materialize for several reasons, such as the Sharks asking for more changes to their terms after the show.

Despite the setback, MirMir’s owners did not seem to have any difficulty moving forward with their plans due to their brand’s increased visibility and demand after its “Shark Tank” appearance. Aside from receiving endorsements from Hollywood’s elite stars like the Kardashians, Taylor Swift, and Gigi Hadid, Glenn and Spencer found a partner in Eric Cusin — another businessman who pitched the Reviver on “Shark Tank” Season 6.

After its TV exposure, MirMir increased its number of machines and expanded its operations beyond the Big Apple and the City of Angels. The company branched out to Austin, Dallas, and San Francisco, and it also reached Canada — specifically in Toronto and Montreal — and other parts of the world, including London, Bangkok, and Tokyo. Such big development has thrust MirMir into a bigger spotlight in the photography market.

MirMir continues to thrive

It has been seven years since MirMir appeared on “Shark Tank,” but it is not showing signs of slowing down in the booming photo booth rental industry. Per an IBISWorld analysis, the U.S. market for photo booth services alone is projected to generate approximately $101.4 million in total revenue in 2024. MirMir does not publicly disclose its financial performance, but some sources estimate its annual revenue at $24 million as of February 2023. Meanwhile, data analytics company Zoominfo places it at $16.2 million.

MirMir has become a staple at high-profile events because Glenn and Spencer did not just tweak an existing model in the event photography market. They redefined it to cater to modern consumers, particularly Millennials and Gen Z. MirMir’s proprietary software instantly retouches images to deliver flawless, high-quality snaps that can be printed on-site or shared directly to social media. The booth’s professional-grade lighting, which utilizes strobe lights instead of LEDs, also helps achieve that picture-perfect look, explained Fortune.

Compared to other typical photo booth companies, MirMir provides a human technician at every event to help users figure out the best positions they can pose to generate satisfying results. So no matter what package clients book — Classic, Wide, GIF, and Portrait — a service professional will be on-site to provide human assistance. It can be presumed that the human aspect of MirMir’s photo booth is one of the reasons why clients keep returning.

What’s next for Mirmir and its co-founders?

From here on out, MirMir is likely to achieve much more than what it did in the past seven years since its TV show appearance. It has already won the favor of technology giants like Microsoft, Amazon, and even Google, which reportedly bought some of its branded machines for office use. It has also become the go-to choice for photo booths at Coachella, the Academy Awards, the Emmys, and many more high-profile events. All of these the company achieved with very little marketing; word of mouth from its celebrity clients did all the work, according to Racked.

Nevertheless, MirMir’s success is not rooted solely in the influence of its popular customers. The company’s products and services have been exceptional in quality from the get-go. Glenn and Spencer hired skilled software developers to create and improve the company’s photo-editing software. Developments made through the years include post-capture effects, such as face-smoothing and blemish removal, among others.

Sadly, Spencer will no longer be able to witness MirMir’s progress from within the company since he appeared to have quietly left the firm in December 2018, according to his LinkedIn profile. He then ventured into working for AI-focused companies between 2019 and 2023 before landing a top position as chief marketing officer at his present employer, World Plus Inc. Glenn, however, has presumably remained with the company he co-founded, even though the reserved businessman has not updated his profile in years.