Whatever Happened To PopUp Play After Shark Tank?

Do you feel like kids are spending too much time on their tech these days? Texas couple Amelia Cosgrove and Bryan Thomas went on "Shark Tank" with what they believed to be the answer to this: PopUp Play, a specially designed playhouse that gave children a bridge between the real and digital realms. The process sees kids choose designs from a mobile app and have them transformed into an easy-to-piece-together physical playhouse that gets shipped to the home. The STEM-based toy not only helps bring kids back into the real world but also helps build interest in engineering, analytical thinking, and design.

Coming into their "Shark Tank" episode, the team had managed to raise $330,000 for their product within 11 months. However, the majority of this came from a large auto manufacturer that they had made a deal with for $300,000. Given that they had only made $30,000 outside of this investment, most of the sharks remained cautious, along with expressing confusion about the company's strategy. Chris Sacca, however, was fond of the idea. Rather than going for the couple's original offer of $250,000 for a 6% company stake, Sacca made the same deal as the auto company, asking for $250,000 as a convertible note with a $3 million cap. With no other option, the duo accepted. Following its appearance on the show in January 2017, just how has PopUp built itself over the years?

Following their deal on "Shark Tank," Amelia Cosgrove and Bryan Thomas continued to advance their company. The most notable change they made was starting a new division called PopUp Tech, which allowed a flexible option for those looking to create custom products. Launched in June 2017, PopUp Tech aimed to expand the company's audience and diversify what could be created with its technique. 

Unfortunately, the company has since ceased activity for unknown reasons, despite having a number of investors already keyed in. The company's website is dead, its app is no longer available, and its various social media accounts appear to have been abandoned, with no posts on Instagram since 2016 or Facebook since 2017.

While it's difficult to pinpoint just why PopUp Play and PopUp Tech went out of business, we can look at how the majority of the sharks, outside of Chris Sacca, weren't clear on the entrepreneurs' strategy. The possibly confusing setup might have been a setback to consumers as well. However, it is also worth noting that 2017 was the year that Sacca chose to retire from startup investing, which could mean he chose to leave some of his previous investments in the dust. Perhaps it became one of many "Shark Tank" deals that were changed off-camera? No one can say for sure, but regardless, PopUp Play was fun while it lasted.

One half of the twosome behind PopUp Play has done a lot of things since the business closed down. Amelia Cosgrove Thomas has continued to use her intelligence and curiosity to make things better for others. She moved on to work at DoorDash's Chowbotics as their Principal Mechanical Engineer, a position that lasted just over a year. She then worked for Boosted USA's team for several years, eventually becoming their engineering team lead. Next, she worked three years for SPAN Engineering. As of this writing, she's the VP of Engineering at Channing St. Copper Co., a green energy appliance company.

Bryan Thomas is much more elusive, with no public-facing social media and only an abandoned about.me detailing his experience prior to PopUp Play (he was Director of Product Management at SolarBridge Technologies, which was later acquired by SunPower Corporation). However, we know that Thomas went on to work in business model innovation at renewable energy manufacturer The Mobility House for a time following his "Shark Tank" appearance, so the couple are certainly keeping busy. Maybe they'll resurrect PopUp Play in some shape or form in the future, but for now, it's game over.