Kittery kelp farmers to appear on ‘Shark Tank’
Kittery’s Cold Current Kelp Co‑founders Set to Pitch on “Shark Tank”
By Maine News Now
Kittery, Maine – The Atlantic’s most watched reality business show will be featuring a local start‑up this week, as Inga Potter and Krista Rosen, the co‑founders of Cold Current Kelp, prepare to pitch their kelp‑based skincare line to a panel of billionaire investors. The episode airs Wednesday night at 10 p.m. on ABC.
Potter, a marine biologist, and Rosen began the venture in 2021, turning an 800‑foot long offshore kelp farm off the coast of Kittery into a line of sugar‑kelp‑extract facial oils. “We’ve been growing and harvesting our own seaweed,” Potter told reporters, “and turning it into skincare products we sell on our website and in dozens of shops across the Northeast.” The business, which has yet to secure outside investment, markets itself as a win‑win for consumers, the environment, and Maine’s working waterfront. The kelp farm’s high‑density growth rates help absorb carbon dioxide, a benefit the founders say could help expand the state’s emerging kelp‑farming industry.
When the duo applied to join “Shark Tank” over a year ago, they were skeptical. “Every other person you talk to when you have a product says, ‘You need to go on “Shark Tank.” You think, ‘Yeah, right,’” Potter recalled. She added that they had no investors at the time and that the experience felt “very new” for them.
After a call from a producer in March, Potter and Rosen booked a trip to Atlanta in June to record their pitch. “We’re a pretty small company,” Potter said. “We don’t currently have any investors, so this was a very new experience for us.” The pair worked with the show’s production team for several months, polishing their numbers and rehearsing their presentation in front of family and friends “probably ad nauseum.”
The show has long been a platform for Maine entrepreneurs. A few from the state’s coastal towns have secured significant deals, such as a lobster‑food truck business from Scarborough that went on to win a sizable investment. Other Mainer ventures, like a Scarborough high school graduate’s bed‑head remedy, were mocked by the Sharks as “totally unnecessary,” and failed to secure funding.
Potter remained candid about the uncertainty surrounding the episode. “I trust in the process,” she said, laughing. “I can’t really say more than that.”
The episode will air Wednesday at 10 p.m. on ABC, giving viewers a chance to see whether Cold Current Kelp earns a seat at the Shark Tank table and whether the kelp‑powered skincare line will receive the investment it needs to grow beyond the shores of Kittery.
