What Happened To Lumi From Shark Tank Season 6?

The DIY market has long been challenging for creative entrepreneurs. Considering the large number of artistic products available out there, it's not easy to stand out in this very lucrative market. As of 2025, the U.S. DIY and hardware store segment is valued at $677.60 billion, but the market is far from saturated and is even expected to grow to $99.5 billion by 2027.

With the DIY market's rise in popularity, many companies have been racing to introduce products that could easily resonate with creators. The Lumi Photo Printing Kit was one such product — it was a groundbreaking tool that allowed art enthusiasts and DIYers to use sunlight to print permanent imagery on fabrics and other natural materials. Offering a simple, fun, and creative way to bring designs to life, Lumi seemed like a very promising product.

The creator of the kit, self-starter businesswoman Jesse Genet, had high hopes that Lumi would capture a large slice of the DIY market's pie. She launched her product after an overwhelming response to her crowdfunding endeavors. Then, in an effort to secure mainstream success for her company, she tried to earn an investment through ABC's famous business breakthrough reality series "Shark Tank."

Before presenting her DIY kit to the Sharks in "Shark Tank" Season 6, Genet spent years developing Lumi. After realizing her early calling to the business industry by selling shirts at 16, she moved to LA and attended the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, where she met her would-be business partner, Stephan Ango. The two immediately focused on perfecting their product concept in the laundry room of Ango's apartment building, according to Shark Tank Blog.

After developing a sunlight-activated fabric dye, they sought funding via Kickstarter to continue exploring its potential uses. In 2010, they raised $13,597 and used that to experiment with the different things they could use their product, which they called Inkodye, for. Genet and Ango eventually felt it would be a better idea to sell Inkodye in DIY kits, so they launched another Kickstarter campaign in 2012 with the goal of ramping up production. The campaign secured $268,437 against a $50,000 goal.

The company quickly made waves in the DIY market shortly after, collaborating with major brands like Puma and securing retail placements in Urban Outfitters, Michael's, and JoAnn Fabrics. By 2014, Lumi had sold over 30,000 kits and moved into a 12,000-square-foot factory in downtown Los Angeles. By this time, the business partners needed more funding and help managing Lumi's unprecedented growth. Hence, Genet decided to present their kit on "Shark Tank."

During Genet's appearance in Season 6, she entered the tank seeking $250,000 for 5% equity. During her pitch, she demonstrated how Lumi's sunlight-activated dyes would allow users to create unique, permanent designs on fabrics within 10 minutes. She highlighted the DIY movement's momentum, revealing that Lumi had generated $1 million in sales the previous year with profit margins between 70% and 90%. They did that while selling the Lumi Photo Printing Kits, which cost $6.49 to make, for $39.95 each.

Despite Genet's compelling presentation, the Sharks were skeptical. Mark Cuban and Barbara Corcoran quickly bowed out, citing a lack of interest in the DIY market and confusion about the business model, respectively. Lori Greiner expressed interest, but Kevin O'Leary cut her off before she could even say her offer. O'Leary then made two offers: either a $250,000 loan at 8.5% interest with 12.5% equity or $250,000 for 50% equity.

Upon hearing O'Leary's offers, Greiner decided to join him, giving Genet the advantage of having two Sharks onboard her company should she say yes to them. Robert Herjavec chimed in, offering $250K for a 15% stake, but Genet rejected it. O'Leary and Greiner then agreed to offer a $250K loan for 5%. When Genet did not accept it, O'Leary bowed out. As the last shark standing, Greiner made a final loan offer, but Genet stood her ground, saying she could easily borrow money somewhere else without sacrificing equity. Ultimately, Genet left the tank without a deal.

Though Lumi did not secure a deal, it continued to evolve after its appearance on "Shark Tank." Three months after the episode aired, Genet and Ango pivoted the business model entirely. They shifted focus from DIY kits to packaging and supply chain management for brands, a significant departure from their original vision.

The new venture retained the Lumi name and catered to businesses, offering tools to design and order custom packaging materials like stickers and rubber stamps. The company worked with notable clients, including the Wall Street Journal, BlackBox, and fellow "Shark Tank" alumni like Bombas. In 2018, Ango revealed that they had raised $9 million in Series A funding after focusing on providing custom packaging for e-commerce companies.

However, in December 2021, post-purchase tracking service Narvar acquired Lumi. Genet was made vice-president of the packaging division, while Ango became vice-president of product development. The move was expected to significantly boost Lumi's growth even though by then, the packaging firm already had more than 700 clients, including Misfits Market, Parachute Home, and Nutrafol. However, since Narvar had more than 1,100 global partners by the time of the acquisition, Lumi was bound to achieve bigger things through this development. True enough, by September 2022, Lumi reportedly recorded $9 million in annual revenue.

Things were supposed to be looking great for Lumi following the acquisition, so many were surprised when the company announced that it was shutting down its operations on Jan. 31, 2024. In an email to clients and staff, which was shared online, the packaging firm did not disclose a reason for its closure. Instead, it assured them that it would facilitate the smooth transition of customers from its platform.

Based on Genet's LinkedIn profile, she already left Lumi and Narvar in December 2022. Despite being the co-founder, she did not explain why she left her brainchild. Based on her social media activity, she has also largely stepped away from the entrepreneurial spotlight to focus on her new role as a mother to two young children. She often updates her Instagram with travel photos featuring her husband and kids.

As for Ango, he also exited Lumi and Narvar around the same time as Genet. Two years before his departure, however, he founded Slash Packaging, which he described on LinkedIn as a "volunteer-led organization committed to advancing packaging transparency and sustainability." He is still part of this venture. In January 2023, a month after exiting Lumi, he launched the writing app Obsidian and currently serves as its CEO.