Nate Holzapfel is an American entrepreneur most known for his appearance on ABC’s Shark Tank, where he pitched the Mission Belt Co. He has since gone on to pursue a career in consulting and public speaking,. In February 2015, Holzapfel revealed that he would be featured on a spin-off of Shark Tank, called Beyond the Tank.
Mission Belt Co. was founded with the goal of bringing brand recognition to belts. Holzapfel felt that "fashion houses designed and created belts as an afterthought", and sought to change that practice. After moderate initial success, Holzapfel appeared on Shark Tank and was able to negotiate a deal with fashion brand icon Daymond John. After partnering with John, Mission Belt sales increased by over $1 million within three weeks of the show airing which enabled Holzapfel to expand sales and entrepreneurship past his initial venture. As of early 2017, Mission Belt Co. has brought in $25 million in revenue. Mission Belt has been listed as one of John's top 5 deals on Shark Tank.
Controversy
Lawsuit over Holzapfel's Wrongful Use of Mock Interview with Larry King The suit, filed in federal court in California, alleges that Holzapfel "used false pretenses to obtain Larry King's participation in a mock interview, then infringed Plaintiffs' common law trademarks and rights of publicity to make it appear that Larry King endorsed Defendants' commercial activities when, in fact, he has not done so." According to the complaint, King agreed to do the mock interview, conducted in 2013, "as a favor to a family member." The suit goes on to say that King agreed to provide Holzapfel with a copy of the interview, "for the limited and sole purpose of using excerpts from it in a 'sizzle reel' that Holzapfel could privately submit to a few television producers and others, in the hopes that those producers would hire Holzapfel for a television program. Holzapfel agreed to use the recorded Mock Interview only for that limited purpose." The complaint adds that it was made to seem that Holzapfel had appeared on "Larry King Now," when in fact he did not. Alleging trademark infringement, unfair competition and other counts, the suit seeks unspecified damages. In March 2019 the Blast reported that Larry King won a default judgment for $250,000 against Holzapfel. Additionally, Holzapfel was ordered to pay $8,600 to cover Larry King's legal fees. In addition to the money, the judge ordered Holzapfel to cease using King’s name and likeness and destroy any materials he made featuring King.
Philanthropy
As cofounder of Mission Belts, Holzapfel donates $1 through the Kiva Lender Fund for every belt that's sold, which provides microloans to entrepreneurs mostly in developing countries. In March 2017, Mission Belt reported that the company has lent $1.5 million, or 60,000 micro-loans, to small business owners around the world. Since joining Kiva in 2012, Mission Belt has become one of its largest supporters, lending hope and opportunity through small loans to tens of thousands around the world.
Filmography
Beyond the Tank 2016
... Himself - Mission Belt
Shark Tank 2013 - 2014 Himself - Entrepreneur: The Mission Belt
