'Shark Tank' business from Lake Forest reinvents the wheel

LAKE FOREST, Calif. (KABC) -- Two Lake Forest men have reinvented the wheel, literally.

Business partners David Patrick and Zack Fleishman are the minds behind the company Shark Wheel, a new take on skateboard wheels, using shapes found in nature.

Patrick, a longtime skateboarder, says he stumbled on the design while working on a different project. He says the unique shape moves the way a fish swims or a snake slithers.

Put the new wheels on a skateboard and he says it provides speed and better grip.

"When you encounter a rock or a small object, we kick it left or right or we go straight over it, and that's a real big deal in the industry," Patrick said.

In just a year on the market, Shark Wheel has gained support from crowdfunding, investors and major stores carrying their product.

The success didn't come without some trial and error.

"We had a fatal flaw in the design itself and we had to throw away $10,000 worth of our first run of wheels," said Fleishman, the chief operating officer of Shark Wheel.

The company doesn't want to stop at skateboard wheels either. They're prototyping wheels for scooters, strollers and luggage.

"There's a lot of skeptical eyes, which is very understandable," Fleishman said. "We're in it for the long haul and we know we're going to prove it to everybody that we have a great product."

Patrick and Fleishman will pitch their product on Friday's season finale episode of "Shark Tank" on ABC at 8 p.m.