How Local Lens Got Selected for Shark Tank — And Turned Down the Offer
When billionaire investors made us an offer, we said no. Here’s the full story.
Back in 2016, Local Lens was selected to pitch on Shark Tank Mexico, a special season of the globally recognized show filmed in Mexico City. Out of thousands of companies that applied, we made it through four rounds of interviews to stand in front of some of the most prominent investors in Latin America: Carlos Bremer (Value Grupo Financiero), Ana Victoria (Victoria147 & Huffington Post), Arturo Elías (CEO of Telmex), and Jorge Vergara (Omnilife).
We walked away with an offer. We turned it down.
Here’s everything that happened.
First — What Is Local Lens?
Local Lens connects travelers with hand-picked professional photographers in over 200 destinations across six continents. Instead of relying on strangers or struggling with selfies, you get a local photographer who knows the best spots, speaks the language, and captures your trip the way it actually felt.
We were founded in 2014 by Haley Price and Eric Gonzalez — two people who were dating at the time and had a simple frustration: vacation photos never did the trip justice. Today, we’ve completed over 15,000 photoshoots worldwide and grown our revenue 10x since 2020.
How We Got on the Show
We saw a casting call, submitted a short video pitching our concept, and went through three more rounds of interviews after that. When we got the call that we were in, our reaction was pretty simple: “I guess we’re going to Mexico City.”
The filming took place at a studio in the beautiful Roma district. Two other startups were there with us — one offering adaptive bicycles for people with special needs, and another with a TacoPizza food cart. We waited about two hours before being called back for soundcheck.
Fun fact: You know that hallway they make you walk down before going through the doors? They made us do it five times.
The Pitch (And the Nerves)
We had rehearsed for days. And then the moment arrived — and every bit of that preparation collided head-on with pure adrenaline.
Standing in front of billionaires with your company on the line has a way of tying your stomach in knots. Haley, whose background spans startups like Vital Farms and Alliance Abroad before co-founding Local Lens, also had to put her Spanish to the test in front of the Sharks. She did great.
We Got an Offer — and Said No
Jorge Vergara made us an offer. We declined.
The ask was 33% of the company, which was more equity than we were willing to give up at that stage of Local Lens’s growth. And while Jorge’s track record speaks for itself, his background is primarily in the health industry — not the best fit for what we were trying to build.
To be transparent, we weren’t on Shark Tank purely for the money. What we were really hoping for was a strategic partner — someone like Ana Victoria or Arturo Elías — with deep marketing and media connections who could help us expand our reach. When that specific match didn’t materialize, walking away was the right call.
What Happened Off-Screen
A few crew members quietly cheered us on throughout the day. After we turned down the offer, reactions were split: some said “I can’t believe you didn’t take it!” and others said “I’m so glad you didn’t.”
The Sharks themselves? They asked for an invitation to Haley and Eric’s wedding. (For the record — they did get married, and they’re both still running Local Lens full-time.)
What We Took Away from It
Pitching in front of investors at that level is an education you can’t replicate anywhere else. Every time you put your company in front of sharp, critical minds, you hear something you hadn’t considered before. It pushes you to sharpen your thinking, stress-test your assumptions, and find new ways to improve the experience for your customers.
That mindset — constant improvement, exceptional experiences — is still at the core of everything Local Lens does today.
See the Full Episode
Watch Shark Tank México, Season 1 — Episode 3 to see the full pitch.
Curious what the Sharks were so excited about? Browse our destinations and book your own Local Lens experience — in over 200 cities worldwide.
