A ‘Shark Tank’-backed ice cream chain where the cone is basically a donut is coming to Denver

The origin story of Denver’s next ice cream shop sounds like a fever dream: A college kid goes to the Czech Republic on a church mission, falls in love with a dough-based street pastry called a trdelník, spends six months re-creating it in his aunt’s kitchen until 4 a.m., starts selling it out of a tent on the side of a road in Idaho, lands a deal with Barbara Corcoran on “Shark Tank,” and now has dozens of locations in 18 states.

The “Shark Tank”-backed franchise is opening its second Colorado location at 3000 W. 23rd St. in Denver’s Jefferson Park neighborhood, right at the corner of Federal Boulevard, according to permits filed with the city. The spot will be run by franchisees Abu and Sharmeen Parvez, who bought the building a year ago for $400,000. A Centennial location opened earlier this year, making this the Denver proper debut.

So what exactly is a Crispy Cone? Think of it as a donut that wanted to be an ice cream cone when it grew up. Fresh dough is grilled rotisserie-style on a wooden dowel until it’s golden brown, then coated in cinnamon sugar or Oreo powder. The inside gets a layer of Nutella, cookie butter or strawberry jam before being loaded with soft-serve ice cream and toppings.
Founder Jeremy Carlson and his wife, Kaitlyn, pitched the concept on “Shark Tank” in 2022, and Corcoran bit — investing $200,000 for 20% equity. By early 2024, lifetime sales had already topped $2 million, and the company has since exploded through franchising.

For a state that takes its ice cream seriously — this is the place that gave the world Little Man Ice Cream, Sweet Cow and a year-round frozen custard obsession — a European-inspired dough cone stuffed with soft serve and Biscoff crumbles feels perfectly on-brand.

No opening date has been announced for the Jefferson Park location. But if you drive by Federal and 23rd, you’ll spot the “Coming Soon” and “As Seen on Shark Tank” signs in the window.