SpaceX Uses His $100 Invention. Shark Tank Said No.

SpaceX Uses His $100 Invention. Shark Tank Said No.

From The Jo Show by Jo McKee

April 29, 2026 · 46 min · Episode 23

About this episode

Dr. Rob Yonover discusses his journey of inventing the See/Rescue® Streamer and the challenges he faced along the way.

Dr Rob Yonover spent 11 years bringing his See/Rescue® Streamer to market. It's now on US Navy submarines, fighter jets and SpaceX manned flights. It's saved at least four lives. Shark Tank passed. He built it on his patio. His first PR break came from faxing press releases at 11pm. He spent 19 years as primary caregiver for his wife while raising two young kids and never quit his day job. This is a conversation about inventing things that matter, getting media attention without a budget, why taking investor money can shorten your life arc, and the discipline of being a "polite pain in the ass" for 40 years until the world catches up. If you're building something simple that nobody understands yet, this one's for you. Find Rob's books on Amazon: Hardcore Inventing, Caregiver Survival Guide, Brainstorm Islands. _________________________________________ CONTACT JO: The Jo Show is hosted by Jo McKee, founder of McKee Creative — holistic digital marketing for small business. New episodes weekly. Subscribe to The Jo Show for more conversations with builders, inventors and operators → https://www.youtube.com/@the_jo_show Apply to be a guest on The Jo Show →…

People in this episode

Host: Jo McKee

Guest: Dr Rob Yonover

Topics covered

  • inventing
  • media attention
  • entrepreneurship
  • caregiving
  • innovation

Keywords

  • invention
  • Shark Tank
  • entrepreneur
  • caregiver
  • media
  • innovation
  • SpaceX
  • US Navy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: US Navy, SpaceX

Products: See/Rescue® Streamer

Books & works: Hardcore Inventing, Caregiver Survival Guide, Brainstorm Islands

More episodes of The Jo Show

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Jo Show podcast page.