Cerebral Success has no reliably verified current net worth. Its founder, Trevor Hiltbrand, accepted Barbara Corcoran’s televised offer of $75,000 for 40% of the company on Shark Tank in 2014. Those terms implied a $187,500 post-investment valuation at that time, rather than a measure of the founder’s personal wealth.
The supplement business later reached GNC shelves under the SmartX name. However, Shark Tank Blog reports that it closed in October 2019. Hiltbrand continued building businesses and subsequently became a co-founder of Project Solar, taking his experience in online selling into residential energy.
Cerebral Success and Trevor Hiltbrand at a Glance
| Detail | Documented information |
|---|---|
| Founder | Trevor Hiltbrand |
| Business established | 2011, according to the company |
| Original business | Supplements marketed for focus and memory |
| Shark Tank airdate | April 25, 2014 |
| Original investment request | $75,000 for 20% |
| Accepted televised offer | $75,000 for 40%, from Barbara Corcoran |
| Later product branding | SmartX by Cerebral Success |
| Reported closure | October 2019, according to Shark Tank Blog |
| Subsequent venture | Project Solar, co-founded with Matthew Smith |
Who Is Trevor Hiltbrand?
Trevor Hiltbrand is an entrepreneur whose documented career includes nutritional supplements, e-commerce, and residential solar. Cerebral Success brought him national television exposure, but it represents an early chapter in a broader business career.
Crunchbase lists Hiltbrand as having studied finance at Brigham Young University from 2007 to 2011. It also identifies him as a founder of Transparent Labs before his work at Project Solar.
His birth date, birthplace, parents, and detailed childhood history are not established by the reliable sources reviewed. Likewise, those sources do not provide enough information to present a verified account of his marriage or children.
One documented personal connection later became important professionally: TechBuzz described his Project Solar co-founder, Matthew Smith, as a childhood friend.
How Cerebral Success Started
According to an October 2014 company announcement, Hiltbrand established Cerebral Success in 2011. The business sold capsules aimed at customers seeking support for concentration, memory, and mental energy.
Its early marketing focused on students and working professionals. Hiltbrand positioned the product around concern about students using prescription stimulants without prescriptions.
That positioning explains the business idea, but it does not establish that the supplement offered equivalent benefits to medication. Statements about improved focus or memory were product claims and need to be understood in that context.
Initially, Cerebral Success sold directly to customers. In an April 2014 announcement, the company said customers could purchase online or by telephone, placing e-commerce at the center of its early operation.
The Shark Tank Pitch and Barbara Corcoran’s Offer
Hiltbrand’s appearance aired on April 25, 2014. The company’s announcement stated that filming had taken place in September 2013, explaining why the business had already changed by the time viewers saw the pitch.
He requested $75,000 for 20% ownership. According to Shark Tank Blog’s recap, the presentation drew questions about the evidence supporting the finished supplement, particularly the difference between research on individual ingredients and research on the complete formula.
Barbara Corcoran offered the requested investment in exchange for 40%, with a condition concerning liability. Hiltbrand countered at 37%, but she held to her original terms, which he accepted.
The partnership subsequently moved beyond the televised agreement. Cerebral Success’s October 2014 announcement identified Corcoran as an investor and credited her mentorship with helping the product enter GNC.
Cerebral Success Shark Tank Net Worth Explained
Two historical valuations arise from the pitch, and they answer different questions.
Hiltbrand’s initial request of $75,000 for 20% implied a $375,000 post-investment valuation. The accepted offer of $75,000 for 40% implied a $187,500 post-investment valuation, calculated by dividing the investment by the ownership percentage.
These figures describe the pricing implied by the proposed equity transactions. Neither figure establishes the company’s value today.
They also do not establish Hiltbrand’s net worth. An investment in a business is different from money paid directly to its founder, and an ownership stake does not automatically equal cash available to spend.
No credible public financial disclosure reviewed provides a current valuation for Cerebral Success or a dependable estimate of Hiltbrand’s personal wealth. Similarly, a report that the company closed does not establish that every remaining asset had no value.
The responsible answer to the net-worth question is therefore limited: the historical deal terms are documented, while current company value and personal wealth remain not publicly verified.
SmartX and the Move Into GNC
Cerebral Success’s retail expansion marked a significant change from its original direct-sales approach. On October 22, 2014, the company announced that SmartX would reach GNC stores nationwide.
The announcement also reported increased online sales following the television broadcast. However, it did not supply audited annual accounts, long-term profitability figures, or information sufficient to calculate the company’s eventual value.
Retail availability demonstrated that the business had moved beyond its original website. It did not, by itself, prove sustained financial success.
The company also announced preliminary research findings about SmartX. Those statements came from its own promotional release; they should not be presented as independent confirmation that every advertised benefit had been established.
What Happened to Cerebral Success?
Shark Tank Blog reports that Hiltbrand closed Cerebral Success in October 2019. Its update describes the earlier SmartX rebranding and the company’s expansion with Corcoran’s support.
That closure date should remain attributed to the publication. The sources reviewed did not establish a detailed official explanation for why the business ended.
Consequently, claims that a particular regulation, financial loss, dispute, or competitive threat caused the closure would go beyond the available evidence. The documented retail expansion and the reported shutdown are separate parts of the story; neither explains the other without additional records.
Trevor Hiltbrand’s Career After Shark Tank
Hiltbrand’s later career shifted toward a much larger household purchase: solar panels.
An October 2021 TechBuzz profile identified him as Project Solar’s CEO and co-founder. It reported that he and Matthew Smith began developing the venture in 2020 and that operations started in January 2021.
The business sought to sell residential solar through an online process while reducing reliance on traditional door-to-door sales. Hiltbrand told TechBuzz that shopping for solar himself had exposed large differences between competing quotes.
His experience selling products online provided a practical connection between his earlier ventures and the new company. The product changed, but customer acquisition and e-commerce remained central.
On September 26, 2024, SunCast featured Hiltbrand and Smith in an episode about Project Solar’s business model. More recently, Florida corporate records show a March 26, 2026 annual report for Project Solar Florida, Inc., cross-referenced as Project Solar, Inc., listing Hiltbrand as president/director.
These records document continued business activity beyond Cerebral Success. They do not disclose his personal income or net worth.
Hiltbrand’s career therefore has a clearer documented trajectory than any headline wealth estimate: an online supplement business, a national television investment, retail expansion, and a subsequent move into solar. The financial story is strongest where it rests on dated transactions and identifiable records.