Austin-Based Memorial Diamond Maker On 'Shark Tank'

AUSTIN, TX — The founders of Austin-based company Eterneva are scheduled to be featured on the television show "Shark Tank" on Sunday as they vie to convince judges on the reality show to give them seed money meant for corporate expansion.

The Oct. 13 broadcast will showcase the pitch given by company co-founders Adelle Archer and Garrett Ozar in describing their unique business model. The company makes diamonds from the ashes of loved ones in creating a unique keepsake to help keep the memory of departed loves ones alive.

Naturally, Archer wasn't able to disclose in a telephone interview with Patch what the outcome of the presentation was. But she described how exciting it was to be called by the show's producers to participate in the reality television program. But she spoke of the significance of being asked to appear: "It's pretty incredible when you have an email from 'Shark Tank' inviting you on the show," Archer said. "It's a really big deal."

She described the role of her company's offerings as "honoring remarkable people, and helping all our customers keep their stories alive." Along the way, Eterneva helps spark a dialogue about death, an often-avoided topic of conversation. "From a cultural standpoint, we're not good about that," she said in reference to the subject of one's mortality. "But we're really seeing things change on the national stage, and more people talk about their lost loved ones."

Archer and Ozar launched the company two years ago after having worked together in the local tech industry, she said while noting she arrived to the capital city seven years ago after earning an MBA in entrepreneurship from the Acton School of Business. Her partners has lived here roughly the same amount of time, a transplant now rooted in the city after marrying a local resident with whom he now has children, she said.

The company offers a variety of different diamond colors and sizes in making unique keepsakes for those wishing to remember their loved ones with a tangible reminder. That focus redefines the idea of diamonds being forever for the unique company's clientele.

One customer opted for a blue diamond to remember her father's same-colored eyes. Another customer from New York learned of the company and opted to have some of her son's ashes she kept on the mantle for a quarter-century into a piece of jewelry she wears to keep his memory alive, Archer said. Yet another customer documented the process of securing a unique familial memento on Instagram while framing it as something of a spiritual journey, Archer added.

Cremation is an increasingly popular alternative to burial, in part given to the lower cost of the former. Funerals can cost up to $15,000 compared to an average of around $3,000 for cremation. Diamonds, too, are expensive but offered by the company "at a very approachable price," Archer said.

The company is doing a brisk business at its 14-worker laboratory located at the intersection of State Highway 71 and Interstate 35, Archer said, with projections of 500 unique diamonds by the end of year. The company primarily relies on social media and word of mouth to promote its singular wares, capturing customers' stories on film via a staff videographer.

Archer said she enjoyed her "Shark Tank" experience, noting how the judges aren't given advance details on company representatives' business plans or product line. "What you see is genuine," she said. While mum on details to avoid spoilers and/or in compliance of a non-disclosure agreement, Archer did volunteer a summary of the judges' reactions as the founders explained the company's product line: "A lot of the reaction was wait, what?" she joked.

Eterneva's founders will appear on ABC's "Shark Tank" on Oct. 13 at 8 p.m. The corporate duo made their pitch while describing the dying positive trend of which they are a part.