Topsail Steamer, a local family-run company specializing in customizable ready-to-cook seafood boils, announced via Instagram they will be featured on ABC’s reality show “Shark Tank” later this month.
The show gives entrepreneurs a chance to pitch their products and ideas to five potential investors with the hope of gaining financial backing to get a business off the ground or expand it.
Founder Danielle Mahon
(pictured at right) launched Topsail Steamer on Topsail Island in 2017 about a decade after relocating from New Jersey where she grew up enjoying fresh seafood on the Jersey Shore. The company offers metal steamer pots filled with seasoned, ready-to-cook seafood that customers can take home, steam and eat.
Today, Topsail Steamer has eight locations from New Jersey to Florida, including the flagship Topsail Island location, one in Surf City and another in Wrightsville Beach. The company has been shipping pots nationwide via Goldbelly since 2020 and began franchising in 2022.
Mahon was named Entrepreneur of the Year at the 2021 Coastal Entrepreneur Awards, a joint program between the Greater Wilmington Business Journal and the UNCW Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
The "Shark Tank" episode featuring Topsail Steamer is scheduled to air at 8 p.m. on Oct. 25.