Conor Lewis appeared on the stage of the business-themed series “Shark Tank” in season 13 to promote his company, FORT. The business offers magnetic pillows that, in addition to being comfy, can be used to build strong pillow forts for children to play in. We chose to learn everything we could about the organisation because the novel yet intriguing concept called for a second look.
Fort: Who Are They and What Do They Do?
Conor Lewis, the brains behind Fort, graduated from Western Kentucky University in 2012 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design. Before being given the prestigious position of Director at the Illinois-based Alton Encore, he began his career as a Design and Digital Media Specialist for OBATA. Conor worked as the director, producer, and writer of the documentary film “Dirty Laundry,” which examines the rare illness mesothelioma, from April 2016 until December 2018.
Prior to devoting his attention to Fort, Conor also worked in Special Operations for Simmons Hanly Conroy LLC and in the Marketing and Communications division at AltonWorks. Conor was watching his wife and child struggle to construct a fort with conventional pillows and cushions when he got the idea for a magnetic pillow fort. The immersion was ruined by the structure repeatedly crumbling and the fact that it did not resemble a fort.
Conor recorded his concept, but he did not give it much thought until 2020, when COVID-19 caused him to lose his position at AltonWorks. Conor unexpectedly came upon his old idea document while searching through his phone for another work and decided to give it a shot. Through social interaction and conversations with manufacturers, he discovered that there might be a market for such a product. Conor therefore developed his magnetic pillows in July 2020 after some investigation and prototyping.
The final product is essentially a couch cushion with strong neodymium magnets covering the borders. The pillows may be stacked to form a fort, and the magnets prevent it from toppling over. Additionally, Conor explained various cushion forms for better fort construction and indicated that the item may also be utilised as a regular couch at other times. In addition, he employed leather and polyurethane foam as production materials to make each cushion stain- and water-resistant.
Where Is Fort Now?
Conor, who was determined to launch a company based on the magnetic pillow concept, began by running a lucrative Kickstarter campaign that brought in a remarkable $3,107,079. He started looking for a manufacturer right away and was pleasantly delighted by the excellent response Fort received after its initial release. Many people appreciated the original and creative idea behind magnetic pillow forts, which greatly expanded the product’s appeal and consumer base.
Conor also used his design skills to come up with a few clever additions after realising how well his company was doing. These extras improved Fort’s usability and made it much more enjoyable to play with. Fort is now available in sets of 12 cushions for $499 and comes in a variety of colourful hues. In addition, the accessories, which range in price from $15 to $67, include lamps, blankets, suede covers, and carrying straps. The item, however, is only offered through Fort’s website and is delivered within 3 to 4 weeks of an order being placed.
Pillow Fort After the Shark Tank
The Shark Tank programme provided free advertising for The Fort, and customers praised the item’s originality. Even if a startup doesn’t receive investment from this show, they can still come to Shark Tank to do so. Therefore, people undoubtedly order that thing.
The show’s sales rate increased by four times after Shark Tank. For their children, many parents began placing orders for this product. We estimate that $1 million in dollar sales would have been earned.
On April 1, 2022, during Episode 18 of Season 13 of Shark Tank, the show’s founder Conor B. Lewis made an appearance.
Lewis provided Shark with a lot of information about this startup, which Shark was interested in. The founder asked Shark for $500,000 in exchange for 10% of his company in return for the money.
Sharks Mark Cuban, Kevin O’Leary, Lori Greiner, Emma Grade, and Robert Herjavec wanted to speak with the founder about the business’s strategy, finances, and sales statistics before making an investment.
Where can you buy Pillow Fort ?
You can only get this Fort magnet pillow toy on their official website, getthefort.com, if you’re interested. This item’s pricing has been held at $499.
This product’s accessories, which range in price from $15 to $67, include the Fort Light, Fort Blanket, Fort Suede Cover, and Fort Strap.
Prior to devoting his attention to Fort, Conor also worked in Special Operations for Simmons Hanly Conroy LLC and in the Marketing and Communications division at AltonWorks. Conor was watching his wife and child struggle to construct a fort with conventional pillows and cushions when he got the idea for a magnetic pillow fort. The immersion was ruined by the structure repeatedly crumbling and the fact that it did not resemble a fort.