Before Shark Tank, before investors, before scaling — Meghan Wolfgram was just a recent graduate building a homemade lure coursing machine in her dad’s garage so her dog could run. What started as a simple act of inclusion turned into community events, growing demand, and the early foundation of Swift Paws. In this episode, Meghan shares how years of grassroots validation, customer feedback, and steady iteration led to real product market fit — and a Kickstarter that scaled production from 100 units in seven years to 1,000 almost overnight. She also reflects on stepping into leadership after her business partner exited and what it takes to move from side project to CEO. Tune in to Part Two to hear what happens next — when she sells out, runs out of cash, and faces the opportunity that changes everything.

Episode Highlights

00:00 – Show intro + mission

01:02 – Meet Meghan and Swift Paws

01:58 – Origins: pets, economics, and an accidental start

08:02 – Lure coursing discovery and building the first machine

16:10 – Swift Paws forms and grows through events + testing

19:11 – Traveling pet expos reveals massive backyard demand

24:38 – 2016 pivot toward a consumer version

27:15 – Fast CAT opens the sport to all breeds, momentum builds

30:34 – Kickstarter launch, big win, bigger reality check

33:08 – Partner exit, weVENTURE support, and CEO growth

40:09 – Buyout complete, sold out fast, next step is raising money

Get Connected

Meghan Wolfgram

Founder and CEO of Swift Paws, Inc.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swiftpaws_official/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SwiftPaws/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@swiftpaws

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SwiftPaws

Shark Tank Episode 13: https://youtu.be/7yYqEvJnSNc?si=YLyCgZclw1xLJauQ

weVENTURE Women’s Business Center empowers entrepreneurs in Florida’s Space Coast and Treasure Coast through education, mentorship, consulting, and a strong network of support to help businesses launch, grow, and thrive.

Episode Sponsors

Valley Bank https://valley.com/business

Harbour House Oceanfront Venue https://www.harbourhouseevents.com/

Co-Hosts + Production Credits

Darcy Manning | THE DARCYMM COLLECTIVE Luxury beauty agency serving Central Florida (bridal, business portraits, private lessons).

https://linktr.ee/darcymm IG: @makeupbydarcymm | @darcymmcollective

KyAlea Monma | HOKU Design Group Award-winning brand and media design agency recognized by USA Today and DesignRush for excellence in brand storytelling. https://www.hoku.design LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyalea/ IG: @hokudesigngroup