SESP Grad Wins $100,000 on Shark Tank
Alumna Sloane Barry (BS22) and partner Brennan Hellmers appeared on Shark Tank, pitching SOMNIA+, a bed expander kit designed to make narrow dorm beds more functional and comfortable without replacing the mattress or using tools.
Investor Barbara Corcoran, one of the original "Sharks," offered $100,000 in exchange for 17.5% equity in SOMNIA+, and they accepted.
Preparation for the show was intense, Barry said. “Brennan and I created a massive study document covering every aspect of the business, including sales numbers, costs, supply chain, marketing strategy, inventory, and potential questions the Sharks might ask."
They constantly practiced their pitch, trying to anticipate every possible question. "But once you're actually in the Tank, you still have to think on your feet," Barry said. "The Sharks ask a lot of unexpected questions, so you really have to know your business inside and out."
Barry and Hellmers, who live in Dallas, came up with the idea while reminiscing about their college days and laughing about standard Twin XL mattresses. "They're comfortable enough but very narrow, and I always wished I had just a little more room," said Barry, who lived in Foster-Walker, known as "The Plex."
Their dorm bed expander kit installs onto a standard Twin XL frame without tools and widens the sleeping surface while still fitting a typical dorm setup. It's currently used by students at more than 100 colleges and universities, including Northwestern, the University of Alabama, Yale and the University of Southern California, Barry said.
Barry, originally from Barrington, Ill., studied Learning and Organizational Change at SESP, a concentration that translated well to entrepreneurship. "Building a company is essentially about identifying a problem, designing a solution, and figuring out how to bring that solution into the world in a way that actually works," she said. "Those skills definitely helped when it came time to pitch SOMNIA+ on Shark Tank."
She chose SESP in part because of its interdisciplinary approach and focus on education and policy. "Understanding how individuals and systems change really resonated with me," she said. "The program encourages students to think about how ideas translate into real-world impact, which was something I found incredibly compelling."
Learn more about SOMNIA+ and catch their Shark Tank episode on Hulu, Disney+ or Prime Video.