Mother-daughter Entrepreneur Team Takes on The Sharks

SlumberPod, a Georgia-based startup that makes blackout privacy sleep pods for babies and toddlers, announced today it has been selected from thousands of applicants nationwide to participate in ABC’s Shark Tank the multi-Emmy® Award-winning show where entrepreneurs have their business ideas evaluated by an expert panel of self-made millionaire and billionaire business moguls and venture capitalists and compete for the chance to secure real-life investment deals that could take their businesses to the next level of game-changing growth.

SlumberPod co-founders and mother-daughter team, Lou Childs and Katy Mallory will appear on the Sunday, January 5, episode of Shark Tank (airing on ABC at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT), where they will pitch their “game-changing” solution for stress-free travel with little ones.

“The idea for SlumberPod came from many sleepless nights while visiting family or staying in a hotel with our first daughter,” said Katy Mallory, co-founder of SlumberPod. “She was a great sleeper at home, but when we were in the same room together, she’d see us across the room and be up all night. It was miserable.” Afterward, Mallory searched for a product that would help and didn’t find anything that fit the bill.

While doing market research, co-founders Mallory and Childs found that many babies and toddlers have struggled to sleep well when sharing the room with others — especially when out of their normal routine, such as when traveling. SlumberPod is also a great solution for naps in bright or unfamiliar places.

Founded in 2016, SlumberPod began selling in July 2018 via a successful Kickstarter campaign that exceeded its goal by 9 times, and since then has helped more than 10,000 families travel with less stress and more rest.

“In order to rest well while traveling, parents are resorting to shelling out additional money for an adjoining hotel room or suite, hiding out in the hallway or on the balcony while their baby goes to sleep, cobbling together unsafe sleep nooks or putting their baby in the bathroom,” said Childs. “While staying with family, it can be disruptive to everyone when a little one wants to ‘party in the middle of the night’ after seeing others in the room.”

“Not only are we providing a product that we believe will help countless families, but it’s been an absolute dream come true to be part of this Shark Tank experience with my mom, and pitch to an audience of successful business icons,” Mallory shared. “It was exciting, nerve-wracking, and we can’t wait for everyone to watch and see what happens!”

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