{"id":219982,"date":"2023-01-26T11:32:58","date_gmt":"2023-01-26T16:32:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/?p=219982"},"modified":"2023-02-02T11:28:58","modified_gmt":"2023-02-02T16:28:58","slug":"montclair-alumnus-tog-samphel-lands-shark-tank-appearance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/2023\/01\/26\/montclair-alumnus-tog-samphel-lands-shark-tank-appearance\/","title":{"rendered":"Montclair Alumnus Tog Samphel Lands Shark Tank Appearance"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Tog Samphel \u201922 appears on Shark Tank<\/em> on Friday, January 27, 2023, the show will cap off an unusual few years \u2013 and not just because of the pandemic. Not only did he invent a handy kitchen gadget that intrigued the producers of Shark Tank<\/em>, he went back to college and finished his bachelor\u2019s degree at Montclair State University last August \u2013 all while working in digital product design and user experience.<\/p>\n

His gadget \u2013 known as \u201cAnytongs\u201d<\/a> \u2013 is a plastic handle that turns any two utensils into a set of tongs. When he first developed the design, he started a Kickstarter campaign, hoping to reach $10,000 to launch the business. The fundraising effort brought in $34,000 and an inquiry from producers at Shark Tank<\/em>, who came across the invention fundraiser online.<\/p>\n

He says he didn\u2019t see the Shark Tank<\/em> email for three months but decided to write back anyway. Producers were still interested in his Anytongs idea and invited him to audition for the show. Auditions took about eight months.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe whole thing has been surreal,\u201d the Clifton, New Jersey, entrepreneur says. \u201cI didn\u2019t know if anything would come of it but I kept advancing to the next round. The next thing I know, I\u2019m on my way to California to appear in front of the sharks.\u201d<\/p>\n

His pitch to the sharks was in September, just a month after the 40-year-old finished his bachelor\u2019s degree in Visual Arts \u2013 17 years after he dropped out of Montclair State University to work full time at AOL.<\/p>\n

\u201cFinishing my degree was something I really wanted to do for a long time and I feel really good that I did it \u2013 and that Montclair let me back in and found my records in the \u2018archives\u2019 and helped me figure out what I needed to finish. I can see Montclair State from my backyard in Clifton. For the last few years, it\u2019s been there, judging me,\u201d he jokes. \u201cI have two little kids and we always say \u2018get the job done.\u2019 I always try to set a good example for them so I wanted to finish what I started.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Man
Tog Samphel \u201922 with his wife, Dawn, and his children, Jorden, 5 and Marcus, 6, who have helped him with his invention and inspired him to finish his degree. Photo courtesy of Tog Samphel\/Sergio Laskin<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Now his kids will also get to watch him appear on TV \u2013 finishing what he started in auditions as well. While he can\u2019t divulge what happens on the pre-recorded Shark Tank<\/em>, Samphel says he is just happy (and surprised) to have gotten the chance to pitch his idea.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t know until recently that my segment would even make it to the show,\u201d he says. \u201cThat\u2019s great exposure for the Anytongs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inspiration for Anytongs came from his mother, who, technically, invented it first. While he was growing up in Paterson, she often had family gatherings with lots of dishes and needed extra tongs for serving, so she\u2019d tape plastic utensils to clothes pins to create her own.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe would be so happy to see this now and to see me on Shark Tank<\/em>,\u201d he says. \u201cShe and I and my brothers used to watch that show and we loved it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tune into ABC at 8 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 27, to see how Samphel’s pitch plays on Shark Tank<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

Updated Feb. 2, 2023: N.J. entrepreneur grabs $150K \u2018Shark Tank\u2019 deal \u2014 with tongs and conviction<\/a><\/p>\n

Story by Editorial Director Laura Griffin<\/a>.<\/p>\n