O.C. family that hooked 2 Shark Tank' investors to be featured Friday - Los Angeles Times

It’s been one heck of a year since 9-year-old Gavin Batarse appeared on TV’s “Shark Tank” last October with dad Jon and sister Morgan to pitch Glove Wrap, which breaks in sports gloves, and got two investors to bite.

And exactly what has happened since that Oct. 13, 2023, airing — when billionaire businessmen Mark Cuban and Michael Rubin offered the Tustin family $50,000 to grow the business — will be highlighted in a special episode Friday at 8 p.m.

One of a series of retrospective segments showcasing success stories from episodes past revisits the Batarses, who invented Glove Wrap in 2022, after a then-6-year-old Gavin ran out of rubber bands when trying to break in a glove for Little League.

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“We used to use rubber bands, but we didn’t have enough,” he recounted to the Daily Pilot in 2023. “So Dad asked me to find a different way.”

Together, the trio developed a latex-free thermoplastic elastomer band that transforms stiff gloves into pliable, play-ready pieces practically overnight. They first circulated wraps throughout the family’s social network and soon after began passing them out to Major League baseball players on social media posts that went viral.

The Batarses appeared before a panel of investor “sharks,” who became enchanted with the origin story and concept. Gavin is CEO and pitchman for the company, while his father handles marketing and business development and sister Morgan oversees operations.

“We had a watch party with 100 people — it was tons of fun,” said Jon Batarse, an executive pastor at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach who also runs his own marketing business.

“But, at the same time, orders were rolling in. Gavin and Morgan wanted to stay up past midnight, printing up labels and packaging everything [for delivery].”

In a bit of TV magic, the family’s “Shark Tank” appearance immediately increased Glove Wrap’s profile, as calls came in from all over the nation. Today, with the help of sharks Cuban and Ruben, the business has increased tenfold, Jon Batarse said Thursday.

Today, Glove Wrap can be found on the shelves of more than 200 retail locations, including 165 Dick’s Sporting Goods stores and nearly 40 Arizona-based Scheels superstores. While the family continues to fill orders, Gavin sends his investors monthly video updates.

“They’ve been actively involved ever since, which has been fun,” Jon Batarse said of Dallas Mavericks minority owner Cuban and internet entrepreneur Rubin, chief executive and founder of global sports platform Fanatics.

This summer, the Batarses inked a deal making the product the official glove wrap of Major League Baseball. The family in July traveled to All-Star Week in Dallas, where a team from “Shark Tank” filmed them for Friday’s retrospective.

These days, Glove Wrap’s collective social media reach is impressive. The family’s videos have been viewed more than 100 million times, and the product has amassed 400,000 followers and continues to grow.

But Jon Batarse says all the fanfare hasn’t fazed Gavin and Morgan, who continue to work diligently to keep the dream going.

“We’re still normal people from North Tustin, and this has all been such a blessing,” he said.

For more information on Glove Wrap, visit glovewrap.com. “Shark Tank” airs Friday at 8 p.m. on ABC.