Jared Kugel

Post-pitch story

Jared Kugel pitched Tire Agent as a smarter way to buy tires online — with financing built in for people who can't drop $800 on a set all at once. The road since has been remarkable. Kugel has spoken openly about being nearly broke — at one point homeless — before the pitch. In 2020 Tire Agent raised $5 million led by American Family Ventures, and the growth hasn't stopped: the company made the Inc. 5000 list of America's fastest-growing companies, passed a $130 million valuation, and has sold over a million tires since 2020. Kugel is still CEO, now running one of the bigger e-commerce stories to come out of the show. From sleeping in his car to the Inc. 5000 — if you're looking for the season's most dramatic post-pitch turnaround, this is it. ---