Haven
Despite the fact that Americans are perhaps living in one of the lowest periods of crime perhaps ever within the United States, don't think that you are safe and certainly don't think that you shouldn't do something. Pitched by two ex-military servicemen from Nashville, TN, Haven is a company that wants to scare the shit out of you so they can then sell you their new smart lock to "keep the bad guys out".
Claiming that an intruder can bust through a standard door lock in five kicks, the other entrepreneur in the tank performing the demonstration fabulously fails to show this point. After kicking at least ten times and then making little more than a dent with a battering ram, it took a flying kung fu kick like something out of a Bruce Lee movie to get through. (And... mind you... this is the standard door lock that is supposed to not be good enough.)
But don't worry! If ten kicks by a large, strong man, whacks with a battering ram, and then a fucking flying kick aren't leaving you feeling safe durring one of the lowest periods of crime the United States has ever experienced isn't enough for you, then you can check out Haven's "smart lock" product that forms a kind of wedge behind the bottom of the door so any weakness in the door jam don't create overall weakness in the lock. This little piece of overkill can be opened via a traditional lock mechanism or with a remote key FOB so you can feel high tech as you're being silly.
The plain old mechanical lock version retails for $182 per unit, costs $67 to make, is landed at $82 and the entrepreneurs claim a margin of 55%. The "advanced" version is $349 per unit at retail with a $175 landed cost. So far, the company has booked lifetime sales of $250,000.
In terms of fundraising, Haven has raised $1,500,000 and has incurred $500,000 in debt from a convertible note. Each of the entrepreneurs own 25% of the company with the remaining equity presumably owned by the outside investors.
The entrepreneurs behind Haven, probably meaning the best but definitely taking advantage of another fucking panic, claim that they're being approached by schools to install their device against the unlikely possibilty of a school shooting incident. In fact, they claim to have a PO from a school in Arkansas to outfit 94 school rooms but they don't have the inventory and are unable to buy enough to scale.
Mark states right away that he's not a fan of the margins. Mr. Wonderful says that he thinks getting the product to scale will be a real issue and drops out. Barbara, likewise, says that she doesn't like the journey she sees ahead and is also out. Returning to Mark, he states that he sees cashflow as a real problem because of the bad margins and drops out as well.
Lori states that she likes the idea but doesn't fully understand it and is out. Left by himself, Daymond states that the only kind of deal he feels he could give would be a "shark deal" and wonders whether it would be good for them. In the end, he decides against it and drops out as well, leaving Haven without a deal.
This deal aired on Episode 10.18.
Analysis
This product is designed to take advantage of Americans who are completely safe, make them feel under threat, and then try to provide a "solution" to this supposed threat. And that... is bullshit.
Every crime statistic that has been produced for the last fifteen to twenty years shows that the United States is in one of the lowest crime periods perhaps ever. Violent, non-violent, and property crimes are all down across the board. Is it the lowest crime year ever? Depends entirely on the crime but it's hard to say when crime is this low overall. Some things tick up, some things tick down, but when compared to crime statistics from the 70's and 80's, it's clear that America is a relatively safe place.
So why try to show how easy it is to bust down a door? To make people feel unsafe is why. Not that most people have their homes being invaded like that. (Not that people in general are suffering from home invasions.) After all, why would someone throw themselves at a house's front door in such a way that would certainly get them noticed when they could probably go through your unlocked side yard gate, break a small window, and let themselves in that way. When no one is home, mind you.
But, in general, fuck this company and the entire climate of fear they want to profit from. About the best thing that can be said about their idea of installing this thing in schools is that it might calm down irrational parents, teachers, and administrators that are giving children a record level of stress and fear today. That fact is that the odds of dying in a school shooting is somewhere around the odds of getting struck by lightning during a terrorist attack.
Yes, yes... your Stats Shark knows... "But if it's your child, you'll always be worried!"
Which is perfectly fucking irrational for someone to say who is on a website that proports to be about statistics and finding truth through numbers. Take a look at what the odds actually are and then allow the rational side of your brain do some decision making. In the meantime, don't even think about installing this contraption. People may "feel" safer but if there's even any reality to the idea it's marginal over the gains society has made as a whole.