Carlo DiMeo was three months into ordering samples of animal-themed ski coats when President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs were announced last April.
The period was a crucial one for Wildcoat, the Boulder-based startup he founded in 2020, because the business was trying to dial in designs for the season. Wildcat manufactures its lion, tiger and bear-looking outerwear at a factory in China.
When levies spiked 150% for exports from the Asian country days later, everything slowed.
“We had to just wait,” DiMeo said. “The factory stopped responding to us.”
Things only got back up to speed once the tariffs dropped to 30%, which led DiMeo to raise Wildcoat’s prices to $525 apiece from $460. The pause took six to eight weeks and delayed bulk shipments to the U.S. once Wildcoat finalized the design, he said.
“You’re not just losing margins, we’re losing our profits from last year toward tariffs,” he said. “It puts everything in a pinch.”
Wildcoat, which appeared on ABC TV’s “Shark Tank” a year ago, saw a banner 2025. Revenue was up from the $700,000 the business posted in 2024, and DiMeo said he expects 40% annual revenue growth.
Wildcoat added eagle and lion designs to its stable of bears, wolves, buffalo and tigers this season. DiMeo also said Wildcoat came out with kids’ sizes for $325 each.
“We were close to it, a couple hundred thousand off,” he said of last year’s $2 million projected revenue. “Before ‘Shark Tank’ we were just hoping to hit a million, but being on the show certainly helped.”
On top of the tariff challenges, paltry snowfall in the West has led to less exposure for Wildcoat’s gear. DiMeo said the business relies a lot on customers wearing the costumes on the slopes to entice sales.
He and his team also do pop-ups, which have been less frequent compared with last season. Still, Wildcoat hosted a demo event at Eldora weeks ago where 500 people took a lap in the flashy ware.
DiMeo also said they’ve donned eagles at Philly tailgates, lions in Detroit and even trekked to upstate New York to watch the Bills in a buffalo.
“We’re still early on in terms of nice growth, and a lot of people haven’t seen the coats, so there’s still a lot of room,” DiMeo said. “Obviously the coats look cool, but if you don’t look into it and dig into the features, you might think it’s more of a novelty coat.”
He also said families and friends taking trips often purchase large batches of Wildcoats, something that declined in the 2025-26 season.
“We’ve had people say, ‘That’s the most fun day I’ve had all season even though there’s no snow,’” he said of the trips that still have happened. “But if you’re not taking ski trips there’s not a lot of reason to buy new gear.”
Even though the “Shark Tank” appearance has given Wildcoat a big bump this year, the deal with Robert Herjavec – an original shark and cybersecurity entrepreneur – hasn’t been finalized. The terms agreed to in the December 2024 episode saw DiMeo and his business partner give up 23% of the business for $300,000.
But DiMeo said Herjavec’s past year has been spent focusing on a new artificial intelligence business, so he hasn’t had as much time for Wildcoat as he thought he would. DiMeo said if the investment comes through, it will likely be a quarter of the size originally agreed on.
“We’re not going to go out of business without it, but obviously it’d be nice, especially with our cash reserves in limbo because of tariff uncertainty,” DiMeo said.
For next year, DiMeo said Wildcoat might add a shorter length cut to the parka. He also said the season could bring animals like a fox, yeti and potentially a seahawk, a nod to the NFC representative in this weekend’s big game.
“Our dream is an all-Wildcoat Super Bowl,” he said.
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