Background: We miss our grandchildren deeply and haven't seen them since 2016 due to unexplained alienation by our daughter. We sought ways to become symbolic foster grandparents for a family lacking grandparents. When none were available, we created FosterFolks.com in April 2025.
Shark Tank: We received an invitation to audition, and the interviewers loved our idea. Although bound by NDA, a memorable moment was when Shark Tank interviewers approached us during dinner and remarked that they had never encountered a concept like ours. They even described FosterFolks as a possible “unicorn” startup—indicating a potential valuation of at least $1 billion through an IPO—particularly because we have no competitors and our concept can be implemented globally.
At the auditions, we saw other company owners being interviewed while we waited in line to get wristbands for entry into the Shark Tank interview room. At first, we thought they were pre-screening candidates; in reality, they were private equity scouts looking to seize any promising deals before Shark Tank made offers.
Several of these startup acquisition representatives were highly impressed by our concept and offered to fly us by private jet to meet with VCs in Palo Alto. We conducted due diligence on them before accepting the travel invite and returned home with a $15M offer to sell all of our intellectual property. We hired a startup consultant on UpWork.com who advised us not to sell now, especially because the deal did not allow us to be retained as the brand spokespeople, as Colonel Sanders was with Kentucky Fried Chicken, nor would we be allowed to produce a reality TV show.
We work in the entertainment industry and want to create a unique reality show with heartfelt stories of senior singles and couples becoming symbolic foster grandparents, and younger singles and couples aiming to become symbolic foster aunts and uncles—especially members of the LGBTQIA+ community—and families seeking foster grandparents, aunts, and uncles for their children. A key element of a great reality show is emotional conflict, and ours would feature it through the lens of grandparent alienation, a problem we have encountered and never heard of before. Grandparent Alienation Day is June 14 and is a significant issue, with over 2500 support groups nationwide. Showcasing the loving grandparents alongside their kids, who are alienating them from their grandchildren, would make compelling TV, and hopefully, a reconciliation.
