Ocala's FUNDELIVERED Takes Mystery Boxes to Shark Tank

Two Ocala entrepreneurs will represent Marion County on national television this Wednesday when their unboxing company, FUNDELIVERED, appears on ABC's Shark Tank. Co-founders Rebecca Dallman and Jena Butler started the business in May 2021 after discovering a pallet of sealed unclaimed mail according to Ocala-News.com.

Co-founders Rebecca Dallman and Jena Butler will present their mystery-box business during the Season 18 premiere, titled "Beast Mode," airing Wednesday, September 30, at 9 p.m. on ABC. The episode marks the Shark Tank debut of YouTube megastar MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson) as a guest investor.

From Garage to Shark Tank

Dallman and Butler started FUNDELIVERED in May 2021 after bidding on a pallet of sealed unclaimed mail with no idea what was inside. Working nights running a cleaning company, they opened that first pallet with friends, cracking open a bottle of wine to see what surprises awaited.

"We had the best time," Dallman told 352Today. "It was literally like every single thing you picked up, you had no idea what to expect."

The business model centers on reverse logistics—rescuing returned and undeliverable merchandise from warehouses that would otherwise end up in landfills. Customers order mystery boxes without knowing what items they will receive until they open the delivery.

Rapid Growth in Ocala

What began as a garage operation with no air conditioning has grown into a business that has shipped more than 150,000 mystery boxes across the country. The company now operates out of the Ocala International Airport and employs approximately 32 people, some of whom followed from the cleaning business they sold in 2023.

The goods come from fulfillment warehouses across the United States where returned and undeliverable product accumulates by the truckload. The team does not know the contents of every package they purchase. Some standout finds have included a taxidermied two-headed duckling and a complete signed collection of Taylor Swift albums.

"We've always been demand-driven," Dallman said. "It blew up like overnight."

The co-founders sold their cleaning company in 2023 to focus on FUNDELIVERED full-time. Dallman serves as chief executive officer while Butler handles operations.

"We always cranked the music, had LED lights going, and had this pact—if anything was random or weird, we put it on our walls," Dallman recalled of the early garage days. "Our garage was filled with random things and butterflies."

The Pitch

Keeping the Shark Tank appearance secret for nearly nine months proved challenging. The pair attended an open casting call in Las Vegas in January, filmed their pitch in June, and only learned September 9 that the episode would actually air.

"I've watched the show since I was a little girl," Dallman said. "I can speak for Jena and I both—they're all somewhat my heroes."

During the episode, Dallman and Butler will seek a strategic partnership to fund future growth. The episode will also feature regular sharks including Barbara Corcoran, Kevin O'Leary, and Lori Greiner, along with guest investor Jeff Housenbold.

Dallman has made clear the business is staying in Ocala. "I don't think that we'll ever leave Ocala, not in the near future, or not even on the horizon."

The company has also discussed opening a second warehouse in a more central part of the country to cut freight costs, since every box includes free shipping—but leaving Ocala is not on the table.

Ocala continues producing entrepreneurs who capture national attention. Earlier this year, another Marion County resident, Nacssa Garemore, reached the final four on NBC's "American Ninja Warrior." For local businesses ready to make their own mark online, Acelefayne builds websites that help Ocala companies reach customers searching for them—because a business without a website is invisible to the customers looking right now. See Acelefayne's services at /services.