Ashi Jelinek established KidsLuv in 2018 out of an aspiration to offer a healthier substitute to the widespread sugary and artificially flavored beverages sold to children. This inventive drink, which swaggers with no added sugar or artificial ingredients, quickly reverberated with parents and children, becoming a well liked choice due to its appetizing taste that satisfied even picky eaters. The brand’s success is embedded in its dedication to providing an authentically superior and nutritious hydration option that stands apart from the many less healthy choices willingly available.
What Is Kidsluv?
While caring for her sick son in 2017, Ashi Jelinek, a stay-at-home mother, perceived a considerable gap in the market for kid-friendly beverages that could provide hydration and vitamins without added sugar.
Discontended with the restricted options of sugary fruit juices and gummy or chewable vitamins that also accommodate sugar and could lead to dental problems, she was determined to create a nutrient-dense drink for children that provided essential vitamins without any added sweeteners.
Jelinek began her product development in her own kitchen, eventually signing up for the help of a professional inventor to bring her concept to fulfillment. After a year of committed experimentation, she successfully brought to perfection the first two flavors, Flying Fla-Mango and Starstruck Coconut. She named her innovative product KidsLuv and introduced it to the market as “the first zero-sugar, functional drink for kids that has verified vegan vitamins and hydration.”
In 2018, Jelinek founded The Luving Company and actively went after funding while concurrently developing supplementary KidsLuv flavors and carefully crafting the drink’s branding and packaging. She eventually selected justifiable, recyclable, and straw-free Tetra Pak containers, which offer the benefit of being shelf-stable and can be stored for up to a year without refrigeration.
With the manufacturing and distribution processes established and having gathered interest from several major retailers, Jelinek was prepared to scale her business substantially. To facilitate this aspiring launch, she sought an investment from a “Shark Tank” investor to catapult her company forward.
Kidsluv Profile Summary
| Facts | Details |
| Company Name | Kidsluv |
| Founder | Ashi Jelinek |
| Founded In | 2018 |
| Product | Sugar-free, healthy kids’ drink |
| Ask( In Shark Tank) | $200,000 for 8% equity (Valuing the company at $2.5 Million Valuation) |
| Deal (In Shark Tank) | No Deal |
| Shark | No Shark |
| Episode | Season 11 Episode 15 |
| Business Status | Out Of Business |
| Net Worth | Peak Annual Revenue Reached $5 Million Around 2021 And Before Closure In 2022 |
Kidsluv Founder
Ashi Jelinek established KidsLuv in 2018, an esteemed brand of nourishing and flavorful sugar-free juice mixes for children, inspired by her own kids’ health. Driven by a heartfelt dedication to children’s well-being, Jelinek formulated these drinks using premium, transparently sourced, and shelf-stable ingredients, focusing to offer youngsters healthy and appetizing beverage options. Her leadership encourages parents to opt for healthier drink choices for their families.
Kidsluv Shark Tank
Ashi Jelinek, founder and CEO of Kidsluv, a company producing healthy, delicious children’s drinks made with organic, non-GMO ingredients and no added sugar, presented her business on Shark Tank. Jelinek, whose products were already bringing about $55,000 in sales from her home kitchen, was looking for $200,000 for an 8% equity stake. Her vitamin-infused mango and coconut drinks, naturally made sweet with stevia, blazed assorted reactions from the Sharks, who offered expert viewpoints on her venture.
Mark Cuban pointed out the growth prospective, Robert Herjavec inspected her marketing approach, Barbara Corcoran gave branding advice, Kevin O’Leary highlighted lucrativeness, and Lori Greiner focused on retail master plans. Although Jelinek did not secure a deal, her confident demonstrations and innovative product epitomized the challenges and rewards of entrepreneurship, underscoring the persistence required to journey the volatile business and investment scenery.
Despite the rejection, the experience offered precious lessons for purifying her business strategy. Prior to the show, Kidsluv had achieved $55,000 in sales since 2018, but had invested $200,000 in development. Jelinek had formerly secured $1 million in investments, a remarkable portion of which was allotted to licensing and intellectual property rights, leaving only $50,000 remaining, encouraging Mark Cuban to cry out that the situation was “painful” to hear about.
The struggles continued as Barbara Corcoran interrogated the product’s market feasibility and expressed impartiality due to discerned mistakes. Cuban believed marketing funds had been misguided from sales, leading him to withdraw, while Kevin O’Leary was put off by the lack of sales data, and Robert Herjavec was worried and anxious about investing. Lori Greiner finished with the thought Jelinek had fallen into a “trap,” and no agreement was reached.
Kidsluv Advantages And Disadvantages
Steering through the challenge of finding healthy, sugar-free drink options for children is a common worry for parents, and this product offers a delicious and nutritious solution with a number of beverages that kids enjoy. Each serving is packed with nine essential vitamins and minerals important for healthy growth, including Vitamin C, Vitamin D, and Zinc, all crucial for a child’s development.
Efficiently packaged in capped boxes, these drinks are perfect for busy families and are prepared using organic ingredients. Although the premium nature of these children’s beverages comes with a higher price point, which may present an availability challenge for some families, the accessibility of a smaller range of flavors can positively encourage healthier beverage choices for children.
Comparison: Kidsluv Net Worth Vs Other Business Net Worth
- Numilk, a company specializing in vending machines for vegan milk options, reported a net worth of $70 million as of 2025, with lifetime sales being reported to be over $55 million.
Kidsluv Net Worth 2025
While KidsLuv is reportedly no longer in operation, its exact and accurate net worth is challenging to find out due to the inaccessibility of public financial statements regarding its shutdown. Two key financial markers from the company’s past are known: its summit annual revenue, which reportedly reached $5 million around 2021 before the company came to an end on operations in 2022, and its valuation during a 2020 appearance on Shark Tank, where the founder presented the company at $2.5 million based on an offer of $200,000 for an 8% equity stake. Within the competitive beverage sector, it is not unusual for businesses, even those with considerable revenue like $5 million, to face closure due to inadequate capital.
Conclusion
Despite the challenges and eventual closure of KidsLuv, Ashi Jelinek’s journey highlights the vital importance of innovation and dedication in the children’s beverage market. Her commitment to creating a healthier alternative, driven by personal experience, demonstrated a significant demand for nutritious options, leaving a lasting impression on parents and the entrepreneurial landscape.
FAQs
Is Kidsluv Still In Buiseness?
No, Kidsluv was silently shut down in 2022 as their social media accounts went cold in the same year and all of the retailers on which these were sold earlier show it to be unavailable or out of stock.