Modern Picnic: Here's What Happened After Shark Tank

If you work in the corporate world, you know that packing a lunch for the office is a common practice. However, while we've come a long way from the classic metal lunch box, the options available for adults today still tend to run the gamut from boxy and utilitarian to childhood knock-offs — or you're stuck using a brown paper bag that has "grade school" written all over it. That's why Ali Kaminetsky founded Modern Picnic, a line of chic and stylish bags made from vegan leather, with insulated and easily wipeable interiors — perfect for stashing your container of Southwestern pasta salad or melty Cuban sandwich without ruining the aesthetics of your OOTD.

Founded in 2018 when Kaminetsky was just 22, Modern Picnic quickly gained traction. Prior to her appearance on "Shark Tank," the company had raised a total of $1.8 million in funding, which allowed Kaminetsky to expand her product line to bags of various sizes and materials (and for various uses). However, by the time she appeared on Episode 13, Season 15 of "Shark Tank" (which aired on February 2, 2024), the company was on track to operate at a significant loss. This was largely due to Kaminetsky's high spending on marketing, which accounted for approximately 50% of the company's revenue.

Ali Kaminetsky, who was seeking $400,000 for a 6.5% stake in her company, showed up to "Shark Tank" with a strong presentation. She gave each Shark — Mark Cuban, Emma Grede, Kevin O'Leary, Lori Greiner, and Robert Herjavec — a Luncher bag so they could see for themselves the quality, style, and utility of her product. She explained that the bag, which was the lunch box that started it all, could be made for $30 to $35 and sold for $159, indicating excellent profit margins.

Kaminetsky then went on to tell the Sharks that as of taping, her company had done just under $6 million in total sales, with over 40,000 bags sold, and was projected to make $2 million in sales that year. However, at this point, she revealed that Modern Picnic was expected to lose about $100,000, which stunned the Sharks.

It came out that Kaminetsky was using about 50% of her total revenue on marketing — a huge portion, and what Grede called "way overpaying to find customers" (via YouTube). Eventually, all the Sharks ended up dropping out, but Grede left Kaminetsky with some sound advice, telling her to wind down her spends on digital and brand marketing, nearly guaranteeing she wouldn't see a dip in sales.

Though she didn't walk away with a deal, Modern Picnic founder Ali Kaminetsky still gleaned valuable insight from her time on "Shark Tank." In particular, she took to heart Shark Emma Grede's words of wisdom, promptly reducing her advertising spend and bringing the company closer to a more sustainable, profitable model.

And like most companies that feature on the nationally broadcast "Shark Tank," Modern Picnic also saw a huge uptick in sales following the premiere of its episode. Kaminetsky reported an over 900% increase in website traffic and an over 300% increase in revenue (per Market Realist). To capitalize on the buzz, her company offered a discount to customers who used a "Shark Tank"-related promo code.

Modern Picnic's founder mentioned during her pitch that the company's products had just started going wholesale, sold in Saks Fifth Avenue and The Container Store, and she had just received her vendor number from Bloomingdale's. Following the episode's airing, the company successfully launched on new retail platforms. Modern Picnic bags became available on Bloomingdale's website in May 2024, followed by Anthropologie in June, Nordstrom in September, and a major launch on Target's website in December. As of August 2025, Modern Picnic products are still available for purchase on Nordstrom and Target, demonstrating the company's continued growth and success in retail partnerships.

Modern Picnic continues to sell its line of vegan leather lunch bags, fanny packs, cooler bags, backpacks, totes, Snackers, wicker bags, and food containers. Though we imagine founder Ali Kaminetsky spends a lot less on paid media these days, her company is nonetheless leveraging its owned media, including Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, to the best of its ability — using of-the-moment sounds, memes, and social trends to create fresh, vibrant, funny, and engaging content. And to give Modern Picnic more legitimacy in the eyes of prospective shoppers, it also posts a great deal of its earned media to its socials as well.

The company also regularly updates existing products, like its Wicker Collection. These bags, which more closely resemble picnic baskets, have been hand-painted in a variety of ways to celebrate different holidays and seasons, like a floral Papyrus collaboration for Mother's Day, and a seafood/coastal theme for the summer. Modern Picnic and its founder, Ali Kaminetsky, also recently unveiled a new product in May 2025: The Cooler. It resembles a large canvas tote bag, but like all of Modern Picnic's designs, it is insulated for keeping snacks and beverages cool on the go.

Despite financial difficulties when Modern Picnic appeared on "Shark Tank," it seems like those issues have been ironed out (or are in the process of being ironed out — but nonetheless, things are looking up). The company that Ali Kaminetsky built when she was just 22 is here to stay, having found its niche and target audience. We have no doubt that Modern Picnic will continue to innovate with new product releases, updates on existing products, and brand collaborations.

One area where Kaminetsky hopes to improve in the future is, surprisingly, supply chain and logistics. As she told SupplyChain247, she understands why people think of company logistics as uncool, but ultimately, it's "how everything gets done. It's where strategy meets execution." 

One unfortunate aspect of the supply chain that Modern Picnic has had to contend with is new import tariffs, which have led the company to raise its purchase minimum for free shipping from $150 (a single Luncher bag cleared this) to $300. As tariffs bite down on businesses like these, customers might be able to expect Modern Picnic's shipping minimum to rise further — or see a price jump on its products.