Pluto Pillow on 'Shark Tank': What is the cost, who are the founders and can they end all your sleep problems?
Have you ever woken up to a very sore and stiff neck, or even shoulder pains? Well, the culprit to all these troubles that get in the way of a good night's sleep and you is the unsuspecting pillow lying at the head of your bed. You might not think much of a humble pillow while shopping for your bedding. The focus is usually always on the bed and mattress, and very rarely on pillows. However, these fluffy contraptions play a very important role in ensuring that you get a good night's sleep and your body feels well-rested.
While there are several types of mattresses and beds in the market that can be customized to meet your needs and preferences, unfortunately, the same can't be said for the pillows. Although there are a few variants of pillows with various stuffings ranging from feathers to memory foam available in the market, it still doesn't mean that you might find the perfect pillow for yourself. In this day and age customization is the buzzword, from customized skincare and toiletries to beverages, the manufacturers are relying heavily on producing products with a custom touch to meet their customers' whims and fancies. So Kevin Li and Susana Saeliu, the founders of Pluto Pillow too came up with the idea of creating customized pillows for their customers. Read on to know all about these custom pillows that could potentially change your sleeping habits forever.
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What is Pluto Pillow?
The Pluto Pillow is a hybrid design, constructed with a foam inner core and an outer plush cover, both custom-made to your individual profile to provide the comfort and support you need. In order to get your very own custom-made pillow, you need to answer an online survey that asks about your sleeping position, current mattress, heat preferences and more, and Pluto Brand builds a custom pillow based on the information [rovided. There are currently 35 variations of pillows available. For example, if you “sleep hot,” they’ll add cooling gel fiber to your pillow.
The brand's website shares, "Our pillows are all a modular design, crafted from a solid foam core, encased within an outer plush pillow. The core's height, properties (density, additives), all depend on your answers. The fibers in the outer cover vary in thickness and quantity from one pillow to another (also dependent on your answers!). And if you heat up at night, your pillow surface will be made up of cooling fibers. Our materials can combine for over 35 variations through our patent-pending process, and the "feel" of the pillows can be a drastic difference from another."
"Pluto pillows are also a hybrid-design, with a supportive, high-grade CertiPUR-US inner core, encased within an outer plush pillow, both unique to your individual sleep profile. Each pillow is made by hand according to the specs provided by the consumer," told Susana in an interview with Cozy Living.
You can learn more about these personalized pillows here.
Who are the founders?
Kevin Li and Susana Saeliu are the brains behind Pluto Pillow. Pluto Pillow was born out of Susana's quest for finding a perfect pillow that would help her cope with her stiff neck. She began looking for the perfect pillow but couldn't find one. During her quest, she noticed how the mattress industry had customization and several options for the customers, but pillows had none and were still sold in the same old-fashioned way.
Susana reached out to her friend Kevin, who too was on a quest to find his perfect pillow. So the duo teamed up and started their business, Pluto Pillow, in 2018. They interviewed several sleep experts, customers, chiropractors, and physical therapists in order to create the perfect design.
Susana comes from a strong business background. After graduating from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business, she founded Kora Brand, and Tradex Marketplace, both of which she sold within a few years. While she was working on Tradex Marketplace, she was exposed to a large pillow manufacturer and learned from them about where to source the best raw materials from.
Kevin graduated from the University of California with a degree in computational and data science. After college, he worked for an electronics distribution company. His responsibilities included operations, purchasing, accounting, payroll, and information technology. In other words, he learned all about business management first hand. He then went on to become one of the biggest flash drive sellers on Amazon and established his own Amazon store. When Susana approached him with her pillow problem, he saw the opportunity to build something unique, the perfect pillow, using his business management and data expertise.
In an interview with Forbes, Susana revealed the quirky reason behind naming their brand, Pluto. She said, "I wanted the product to provide an out-of-this-world rest. Plus, a planet is made of matter with gas around it, like a pillow is a solid core with fibers around it. We wanted to show the ex-planet some love."
What is the cost and where to buy Pluto Pillow?
Since Pluto Pillows are custom-made and personalized for you, they fall under the high-end category, and the premium pricing reflects it. A pillow costs $95 for a queen size and $115 for a king. They have a 100-night return policy too. You can get your very own Pluto Pillow from the brand's website after taking the survey here.
The brand's website and social media accounts are filled with glowing reviews from the customers raving about what a game-changer getting the Pluto Pillow has been to their quality of sleep. A customer named Kirstin S declared the pillows as "Life changing.... literally life changing." She wrote, "I’ll admit I was skeptical. Read tons of reviews from multiple websites boasting of great pillows and better sleep. Decided on Pluto pillow because each pillow is unique to you and the way you sleep. I’m 27 and I’ve always had pillows on the firmer side and the one I received was on the softer side but I kept an open mind and I’m glad I did. I’ve had the pillow for close to 2 months now and I’ve never slept better, and I have a one year old so the fact that I’m sleeping better now than I did prior to having a baby should tell you all you need to know."
Where is Pluto Pillow now?
Since its launch in 2018, Pluto Pillow has won several awards and recognitions. In September 2020, the brand posted on their Instagram that they had been awarded the title of Best Custom Sleep Pillow for Back Sleepers from the SleepFoundation.org. They posted, "🏆Thrilled to share that we received the honor of Best Custom Sleep Pillow for Back Sleepers from the SleepFoundation.org! We're excited to continue custom-building pillows to any of your sleep positions and preferences. And if you're reading this message, from the bottom of our hearts, thank YOU so much for all of your support! 🏆☁️ 💤"
In an Instagram post on the occasion of World Earth Day, the brand posted a few tips on how the pillows can be recycled. "Although it is widely recommended to replace your pillows every 1-2 years (due to oil, dead skin cells, and nightly use), there are clever ways to say goodbye – and it’s important to be mindful when that time comes! Here are a few tips (be sure to wash your pillows first):
1. Make a pet bed: Since our animals love our scent, one of the top ways to repurpose old pillows is to create a pet bed. There’s a great and easy tutorial on joyfulabode.com with pictures and step by step instructions.
2. Use your pillows as floor / kneeling cushions. There are tons of ideas on apartmenttherapy.com that will be sure to inspire!
3. Donate to a local animal shelter. Many will take in pillows to use as bedding in crates.
4. There are services that specialize in keeping pillows and other textiles out of landfills. One is the American Textile Recycling Service (visit atrscorp.com to find a location near you), which then helps incorporate them into things like insulation material. To date, they’ve accepted more than 287 million pounds of textiles to be recycled.
5. If your pillow consists of foam, you may also visit homeforfoam.com. Foams can be recycled into pellets which are then used to make new products."
Who will steal the deal?
Either Mark Cuban or Lori Greiner is likely to close the deal, as they already have another sleeping product, Hug Sleep in their portfolio, and Pluto Pillow can be the perfect addition to it. Although the brand's sales numbers and profit margins will ultimately be the major deciding factor for the sharks on whether to invest in the business or not. So, we will just have to wait and watch to see if the Sharks even make a deal.
Catch 'Shark Tank' Season 12 Episode 24 featuring products like FlingGolf, Float N Grill, Pluto Pillow, and Stretchlace on May 14, 2021, from 8 pm ET to 9 pm ET on ABC.
Missed an episode? Been wanting to catch up? Episodes can also be viewed the next day on demand and on Hulu. Not just that, you can also watch old seasons and episodes on Amazon Prime Video and iTunes.