Isakow fabricated the first Eyebloc using the DC Public Library's 3-D printer. Photograph courtesy Eyebloc.
The District’s startup hub 1776 will get a bit of national exposure tonight when one of its members appeals for funding with the wealthy businesspeople on the ABC reality show Shark Tank. The episode airing tonight will feature CJ Isakow pitching his product, the Eyebloc, a plastic flap designed to protect computer and tablet users from webcam hacking.
Isakow, 34, developed the device last year after reading about allegations that school administrators in Pennsylvania accessed the webcams on school-owned laptops to view students’ activities at home. The product, he says, offers protection from hackers who might use a webcam to blackmail victims and from government agencies that can hack into webcams to gather real-time images.
“It’s criminals, it’s creeps, it’s our own government,” Isakow says.
Isakow filmed the Shark Tank segment in September, flying out to Los Angeles to pitch the Eyebloc to a panel of inevestors that includes Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. The 34-year-old Wharton graduate calls the 40-minute pitch—whittled down to six minutes for broadcast—the “hardest professional interaction” he’s ever had in his career.
“You don’t shake hands, there’s no small talk,” says Isakow, whose day job is with an energy consulting firm. “The camera guy walks up for 30 seconds and you’re just supposed to stare at the ‘sharks’ and they stare back.”
In his segment, Isakow asks Cuban and the others for $50,000 in exchange for a 10 percent stake in his company. He admits that one doesn’t need to buy a special device to block out a webcam.
“My main competition is duct tape and Post-It Notes,” Isakow says. But he figures he has an edge in selling a stylized product that won’t leave adhesive gunk on a device.
Isakow cannot say ahead of the show whether Cuban or the others went for it. But however it plays out, he’s still looking for other sources of funding. Eyebloc plans to launch an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign tonight after Shark Tank airs. “I’m looking for all avenues of investment,” he says.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
DC Inventor to Be Featured on “Shark Tank”
A member of startup hub 1776 will pitch his device designed to block webcam hacking.
The District’s startup hub 1776 will get a bit of national exposure tonight when one of its members appeals for funding with the wealthy businesspeople on the ABC reality show Shark Tank. The episode airing tonight will feature CJ Isakow pitching his product, the Eyebloc, a plastic flap designed to protect computer and tablet users from webcam hacking.
Isakow, 34, developed the device last year after reading about allegations that school administrators in Pennsylvania accessed the webcams on school-owned laptops to view students’ activities at home. The product, he says, offers protection from hackers who might use a webcam to blackmail victims and from government agencies that can hack into webcams to gather real-time images.
“It’s criminals, it’s creeps, it’s our own government,” Isakow says.
Isakow filmed the Shark Tank segment in September, flying out to Los Angeles to pitch the Eyebloc to a panel of inevestors that includes Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. The 34-year-old Wharton graduate calls the 40-minute pitch—whittled down to six minutes for broadcast—the “hardest professional interaction” he’s ever had in his career.
“You don’t shake hands, there’s no small talk,” says Isakow, whose day job is with an energy consulting firm. “The camera guy walks up for 30 seconds and you’re just supposed to stare at the ‘sharks’ and they stare back.”
In his segment, Isakow asks Cuban and the others for $50,000 in exchange for a 10 percent stake in his company. He admits that one doesn’t need to buy a special device to block out a webcam.
“My main competition is duct tape and Post-It Notes,” Isakow says. But he figures he has an edge in selling a stylized product that won’t leave adhesive gunk on a device.
Isakow cannot say ahead of the show whether Cuban or the others went for it. But however it plays out, he’s still looking for other sources of funding. Eyebloc plans to launch an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign tonight after Shark Tank airs. “I’m looking for all avenues of investment,” he says.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Most Popular in News & Politics
See a Spotted Lanternfly? Here’s What to Do.
Meet DC’s 2025 Tech Titans
Patel Dined at Rao’s After Kirk Shooting, Nonviolent Offenses Led to Most Arrests During Trump’s DC Crackdown, and You Should Try These Gougères
The “MAGA Former Dancer” Named to a Top Job at the Kennedy Center Inherits a Troubled Program
Trump Travels One Block From White House, Declares DC Crime-Free; Barron Trump Moves to Town; and GOP Begins Siege of Home Rule
Washingtonian Magazine
September Issue: Style Setters
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
Why a Lost DC Novel Is Getting New Attention
These Confusing Bands Aren’t Actually From DC
Fiona Apple Wrote a Song About This Maryland Court-Watching Effort
The Confusing Dispute Over the Future of the Anacostia Playhouse
More from News & Politics
Administration Steps Up War on Comedians, Car Exhibition on the Mall Canceled After Tragedy, and Ted Leonsis Wants to Buy D.C. United
What Happens After We Die? These UVA Researchers Are Investigating It.
Why a Lost DC Novel Is Getting New Attention
Bondi Irks Conservatives With Plan to Limit “Hate Speech,” DC Council Returns to Office, and Chipotle Wants Some Money Back
GOP Candidate Quits Virginia Race After Losing Federal Contracting Job, Trump Plans Crackdown on Left Following Kirk’s Death, and Theatre Week Starts Thursday
5 Things to Know About “Severance” Star Tramell Tillman
See a Spotted Lanternfly? Here’s What to Do.
Patel Dined at Rao’s After Kirk Shooting, Nonviolent Offenses Led to Most Arrests During Trump’s DC Crackdown, and You Should Try These Gougères