Popup Play Update | Shark Tank Season 8
With kids spending more time on digital screens and less on hands-on activities, Amelia Cosgrove and Brian Thomas came up with Popup Play. It’s a platform that lets kids design their own custom playhouses through an app and then build them in real life. The idea helps spark creativity, promote STEM learning, and combine virtual fun with real-world play. Will Amelia and Brian convince the sharks to support their vision? Let’s dive into our Popup Play update and pitch recap to find out.
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick overview of what happened to Popup Play after
Amelia and Brian appeared on
In terms of a Popup Play update, the company launched a new division to create custom products for businesses. Despite an initial promising surge, Popup Play has gone out of business. The founders have since moved on to other ventures.
| Shark | Result |
| Chris Sacca | Accepted offer of $250,000 as a convertible note, $3 million cap |
| Mark Cuban | No offer |
| Lori Greiner | No offer |
| Barbara Corcoran | No offer |
| Kevin O’Leary | No offer |
Shark Tank Popup Play Pitch
- Entrepreneur: Amelia Cosgrove and Brian Thomas
- Business: Custom-designed fiberboard play structures
- Ask: $250,000 for 6% equity
- Result: $250,000 as a convertible note, $3 million cap
- Shark: Chris Sacca
Amelia and Brian needed an investment to scale their operations after securing initial funding from SXSW and Kickstarter, so they pitched Popup Play to the sharks.
Popup Play offers a web and app-based service where children use a 3D interface to design customizable cardboard playhouses.
Once the design is complete, Popup Play manufactures the playhouses and ships them to customers’ homes for $109, including shipping.
Their target customers are parents of children aged 3 to 9 who want a creative, hands-on activity that reduces screen time.
Children can easily participate by signing up through the app or website, designing as many playhouses as they want, and sharing their creations with friends.
The product merges creativity with STEM-based learning, encouraging imagination and the development of fine motor skills.
It costs $4 to produce a Popup Play playhouse, and they sell it for $99. This gives the company a profit margin of approximately 95.96%.
Brian explained that Popup Play is an on-demand design and manufacturing company rather than a traditional toy company.
When the sharks asked about sales, Brian revealed that they had a large deal with an auto manufacturer for custom work.
Out of $330,000 in sales over the past 11 months, $300,000 came from the auto manufacturer deal, with only $30,000 in sales from other sources.
Amelia admitted they were spending too much on customer acquisition, which was causing financial strain.
Most of the sharks expressed concerns about the company’s strategy.
Kevin O’Leary dropped out due to the high customer acquisition costs.
Barbara Corcoran believed the mix of software and children’s toys was not sustainable as a business.
Lori Greiner and Mark Cuban also declined, citing doubts about the business model.
Despite these concerns, Chris Sacca found the concept fun and saw potential.
He offered $250,000 as a convertible note with a $3 million cap, and Amelia and Brian accepted the deal.
Let’s quickly get a Popup Play update after Amelia and Brian’s appearance on
Shark Tank Popup Play Update
Our Popup Play update found that the deal with Chris Sacca eventually closed.
Later that year (2017), they launched Popup Tech, a new division focused on creating custom products for businesses.
By 2019, both Popup Play and Popup Tech had quietly shut down.
Their app was no longer available, and their social media had been inactive since 2017.
Our Popup Play update research found that after their businesses folded, Brian moved on to start Charge Theory, an electric fleet vehicle charging business.
Amelia, on the other hand, became the Lead Engineer at Span, a smart panel manufacturer.
Sadly, this will be our final Popup Play update.
Before you go, check out the other company updates from
Before you go, check out our Shark Tank Season 8 page for more updates.
Andrew Smith is the founder and owner of Shark Tank Recap. He is a longtime Shark Tank fan that has been watching it for years and has seen every episode multiple times. His friends know him as the Shark Tank expert, because he can answer any question about the show! His favorite Shark Tank products are Bertello's pizza oven and Bug Bite Thing!