Trunkster, founded in 2014 by Jesse Potash and Gaston Blanchet, introduced innovative luggage featuring zipperless entry, built-in scales, and USB charging ports.
In 2015, they raised over $2.7 million through Kickstarter and Indiegogo campaigns. That same year, they appeared on Shark Tank, securing a provisional $1.4 million deal with Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner for 5% equity.
However, the deal fell through during due diligence. Subsequently, Trunkster faced significant production delays and quality issues, leading to unfulfilled orders and dissatisfied customers.
By 2017, the company ceased operations, and its founders moved on to other ventures.
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Trunkster Net Worth
| Net worth | $28 million (2015) Business Valuation |
| Annual Sales Revenue | Not Disclosed |
| Profits | Not Disclosed |
| Lifetime sales | Not Disclosed |
| Investors | Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner |
| Founders | Gaston Blanchet and Jesse Potash |
| Employees | Not available |
Trunkster Pitch on Shark Tank
| Company name | Trunkster |
| Product | Zipperless smart luggage designed with a built-in GPS, digital scale and charging station |
| Episode | Season 07 Episode 10 |
| Founders | Gaston Blanchet and Jesse Potash |
| Asked for | $1.4 million for 5% equity |
| Final deal | $1.4 million for 5% to be repaid within 2 years |
| Sharks | Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner |
| Location | Miami, Florida, USA |
Don’t miss these products from Season 07
Trunkster Founders
Trunkster was founded by Gaston Blanchet and Jesse Potash in 2014. Jesse Potash comes from New York, and although not much is known about his early life, Gaston Blanchet originally comes from Argentina. Gaston earned a management degree from the UCF College of Business in 2008. Trunkster’s founders, Gaston Blanchet and Jesse Potash, have a net worth of unknown as of 2025.
Key accomplishments
| Year | Accomplishment |
| 2015 | The company appeared on Shark Tank Season 07 and got the deal from Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner. They emerged victorious in Shopify’s Build-A-Business Competition. In 2015, the founders launched the campaigns on Kickstarter and IndieGoGo, collecting $3 million in support. |
Conclusion
Some companies that appear on the show have not achieved great success, and the Trunkster was one of them. Sometimes businesses don’t succeed because of many reasons. Sometimes, the deal falls through after the founders say yes on camera. Or, as you’ll see, sometimes things happen to the founders themselves, and they choose to abandon the business. Anything is possible. However, Trunkster went out of business in 2016. And the product is no longer available in the market.