Derby man goes on ‘Shark Tank’

A Derby native identified only as Tony appeared on ABC’s “Shark Tank” on Friday night and showed viewers a device he created that can help them save money on haircuts.

Tony said he started working when he was 14 years old and paid his way through college at Penn State, where he studied computer engineering. He said he worked on helicopters, but when meeting his wife, they made it a goal to both be retired by 2020.

“Now I get to work on things that I am passionate about,” said Tony. “What helped me through retirement was being frugal. I cut my own hair ... until one night I got to thinking, what I really need is something that can mount in my hand that’s not in the way so I can grasp my hair, and when I’m pulling it straight it gets into place.”

He created the “HairFin,” a blue measuring tool that mounts between your index and middle finger. The rounded part of the fin should face toward the tips of your fingers and the bottom platform should slide under the palm of your hand. It is made in the USA.

“Most haircutters rely on hair clippers to cut hair evenly. These are great for cutting short hair, but these clippers can only go about an inch,” Tony said in the episode. “Measuring your hair as you cut it seems like an obvious solution. But if you’re holding your hair in one hand and a measuring tape in your other hand, how are you going to cut it?”

Even though the five judges — Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec, Daymond John and Kevin O’Leary — were laughing along with Tony

and congratulating him on his sales, they had their

concerns about investing in the product.

“I admire anybody who has a mission to retire, doesn’t work for money but works for freedom and life. But there is a price to my time and where I put my time,” said Herjavec.

“I am an awkward engineer. When it comes to marketing and sales, I am more a dolphin than a shark,” said Tony.

Since July 2020, Tony has sold $41,000 worth of the “HairFin,” or about 2,500 units.

John said he had invested in another haircutting device and offered Tony a deal. Tony was seeking $25,000 for a 20 percent stake, but John didn’t agree and even tried to pull out. But in the end, Tony accepted $25,000 for a 30 percent stake.

You can find “HairFin” on Amazon.

Christopher Willard / ABC Tony, an entrepreneur from Derby, presents his modern solution to an age-old hair-cutting problem with his all-new measuring tool called “HairFin.”