SlumberPod is a portable, mini blackout pod for toddlers and babies. It offers them a private and dark place to sleep. The snugly travel item is lightweight that can fit into carry-on luggage. This makes it quite easy for the parents to pack for any holiday trips. Furthermore, SlumberPod can also be utilized in their rooms to guarantee that the children sleep well.
Lou Childs and Katy Mallory are the owners of SlumberPod. The evolution of the company came in 2014 when Katy visited her mom, Lou over the Christmas holidays. While traveling with her family, Katy kept looking for a viable private place for her baby to sleep.
After massive searching, Katy thought that she was better off creating their own. She decided to fit a crib with blankets. In 2016, Lou Childs and Katy Mallory came together to secure this business and in that context, SlumberPod was born.
Through their Kickstarter campaign, the SlumberPod team raised at least $45,000 with up to 356 backers and began selling their product in 2018. Before their appearance on the Shark Tank, SlumberPod had already made more than $556,000 in sales.
Why SlumberPod is Popular
Apart from the lightweight and portable design, the pod is entirely dark giving babies and toddlers the sound and relaxing sleep that they need. SlumberPod is easy to set and take down, safe, and has breathable fabric so parents do not need to worry about the safety of the product for their children.
The mother-daughter duo decided to seek more funding to expand their business. They entered Shark Tank seeking $400,000 for 20% equity. Apart from the appealing numbers, the Sharks liked the fact that the firm is profitable and debt-free.
They came on the show hoping to find a shark to help them scale their production line and keep up with the growing demand. Barbara offered the team $400,000 for 25% equity and a contingency that she also gets a percentage of every sale until her money is made back. After some in-depth negotiations, they got Barbara to reduce the equity to 20% and they accept the deal.
Where Is SlumberPod Currently?
The deal with Barbara is yet to be finalized and they are still working in partnership with one another. Since the first airing, the firm has accumulated sales of more than 20,000 units and continues to expand its product catalog.
But, for a period they encountered the challenges of dealing with knock-off products of their design. As of October 2021, they no longer had that issue thanks to their patent. They have now increased their exposure since the airing on Shark Tank and have made around $5 million in annual sales in 2021.
Slumberpod is a brilliantly invented sleeping pod for toddlers and babies. It puts the babies and their parents at ease, irrespective of the location. Even though they have encountered various challenges in the past, the mother-daughter-duo continues to exceed it all and remains determined to make their company a huge success.