We all loved making pillow forts when we were young. Building one is every kid’s dream, but cleaning up can be a nightmare for parents. Because of this, Conor Lewis created Pillow Fort, a company that sold pillows that could be assembled into forts. He pitched the business on Shark Tank but didn’t get a deal. In 2024, Pillow Fort is worth $0 as they went out of business in October 2023.
Conor Lewis’ Background
Conor Lewis resides in St. Louis, Missouri. Before getting married, he got a fine arts degree, specializing in graphic design, and graduated from Western Kentucky University in 2012.
After college, he worked in the digital media department of OBATA, an advertising company and served three years as a director at Alton Encore. In 2016, he led the digital marketing and video production divisions atf Simmons Hanly Conroy LLC.
How a Father’s Love Inspired an Ingenious Idea
During the start of the pandemic, Conor lost his job. So, he got to spend more time with his daughter at home. She loved building forts out of couch pillows and always left a mess in the living room.
This gave the unemployed father a business idea. He created magnetic pillows in sets that can be formed into cute forts. They’re resistant to water and stain and are also made to fit in normal couches.
Lewis started Pillow Fort in 2020 with a private business partner who owns 5% of the company. They launched a Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $3.1 million in 2021.
Pitching to the Sharks
Conor Lewis didn’t anticipate the success and this caused a lot of problems. He needed help from the Sharks and appeared on season 13, asking for $500,000 for 10% equity.
The Sharks loved the demonstration, and appreciated how the entrepreneur was honest about the company’s issues. However, this also made them hesitant to invest.
The Sharks were mostly concerned about Conor’s partner, who had an option to buy 40% of the business if it reached $30 million in gross sales. This was a big issue as it put a cap on their future returns. The Sharks sadly went out but they loved Conor’s personality.
Pillow Fort’s Challenges Post Shark Tank
After Shark Tank, the extra publicity from appearing on national TV further exacerbated supply chain issues. The Kickstarter comment section is mainly disgruntled customers complaining they never received the product.
In October 2023, the CPSC announced they were recalling 13.250 units because the magnets are potential choking hazards to young kids. Reportedly, there were 17 cases of loose or broken magnets, resulting in injuries to two adults and a child.
Conor didn’t have enough capital to fix the problem and closed the business down. This means, backers on Kickstarter are left out of pocket. Before the recall, the business was already struggling and customers were losing patience.
