During the holiday season, gifting is a usual concept across the globe. People gift their loved ones with various gifts. But the amazing gifts are ones that parents offer to their children. In most cases, the box carrying the gifts is a fascinating aspect for the kids. Your kid will have more interest in the box than the gift itself.
What if the box could be a gift itself? This question was what popped into Noah Cahoon’s mind. The 13-year-old boy came up with the idea of making the ordinary box into a toy. This was through offering stickers with directions on how to cut the a box and make it a creative toy. Noah dubbed this kit the Paper Box Pilots.
Noah appeared in episode 4 of Shark Tank season 6. He was seeking funding of $35,000 in exchange for a 25% stake in Paper Box Pilots. How did the pitch go, and what happened to Paper Box Pilots after Shark Tank? Keep reading to get updates on Paper Box Pilots in 2022.
Paper Box Pilots Overview in Shark Tank
| Company Name | Paper Box Pilots |
| Episode | Season 6 Episode 4 |
| Product Offering | Paper Box Pilots – decorative sticker designs with directions for converting cardboard toy packaging boxes into toys. |
| Founded | 2013 |
| Founder | Noah Cahoon and Brian Cahoon |
| Required Investment | $35,000 For 25% stake in Paper Box |
| Closing Deal | $35,000 For 50% equity shares |
| Shark | Kevin O’Leary |
| Current Business Status | Out of business |
What is Paper Box Pilots?
Paper Box Pilots is a company focused on making creative children’s toys out of ordinary boxes using decorative stickers. The company provides users with stickers to help them create toys using ordinary boxes. The kit comes with directions that parents can use to turn the cardboard into toy designs fit for their kids, such as planes, ships, race cars, fire engines, and other types of vehicles.
How Do Paper Box Pilots Work?
Paper Box Pilots are decorative stickers that feature cutting directions that parents can use to turn cardboard boxes into different types of toys. Using these stickers, one can make various toys that fit their kids. The goal is to make the toy package a special gift to the children. The Paper Box Pilot kits are available in three types: airplane, racing car, and fire engine.
Who Founded Paper Box Pilots?
Noah Cahoon is the founder of Paper Box Pilots and a student at Brigham Young University pursuing a degree in entrepreneurial management and marketing. He co-founded the company with his father, Brian Cahoon, and younger brother Milo Cahoon when he was 13 years old. Noah had an interest in creating things out of boxes.
According to his father, he could draw different objects on cardboard boxes. Brian took up a step and started printing the objects and images. Noah would stick these images on the boxes to make a creative toy.
The idea of Paper Box Pilots was an inspiration by his younger brother, Milo. He got into a box airplane which gave Noah an idea of coming up with stickers. These ideas turned into a business of making and selling decorative stickers that contained cutting directions that buyers could use to make toys from boxes.
Paper Box Pilots Business before Shark Tank
Noah’s dream was to help parents gift their kids with toys during holidays without spending money. The idea was to turn the ordinary boxers in their yard into toys. This would happen by applying the decorative stickers and cutting instructions from Paper Box Pilots. These stickers came with designs of various toys and a guide on how to create them.
When he was young, Noah remembered the experience with designed boxes that his father would give to him. He decided to create a customized box for his younger brother Milo. How Milo reacted put Noah into a thinking mode.
He thought out how parents struggle to gift their children with an amazing toys. The idea of creating stickers that parents can attach to any box and convert into a toy that their kids would admire popped up in his mind. He requested a loan from his father to enable him activity this dream, and Paper Box Pilots was born.
The family began making the stickers and professionally printing them. They launched their business in the summer of 2013, offering each kit at $7.99. As the CEO of Paper Box Pilots, Noah wanted to expand the business and break into the retail chain niche. This desire made him pitch the Shark Tank for funding and support.
Paper Box Pilots during Shark Tank Pitch
Noah featured his Paper Box Pilots idea in episode four of Shark Tank Season 6. He was seeking funding of $35,000 in exchange for a 25% stake in the company.
Noah appeared on Shark Tank in the company of his dad Brian and younger brother Milo. He told the Sharks that Milo was the CFO (Chief Fun Officer) of the company. Together with his father, they shared the idea behind Paper Box Pilots. He shared about the experience of young kids and how they get attracted to cardboard boxes. The sharks agreed on this concept.
Noah demonstrated the idea in action. The CFO took up the role of showing a plane model made from the boxes. Noah and Brian handed Robert a racing car model of the creative toys. They went on to talk about the Paper Box Pilots, which is a collection of stickers to help one turn a box into a creative toy.
The sharks could not hide their excitement. But each had some comments to make. Kevin stated he was a good fit since he had worked in the toy industry. Barbara was eager to know the cost of the product. Noah told the panel it goes for $8 per kit, adding that they had already made $7500 in sales. He also states that it is available in 24 toy stores and online.
It was time for the sharks to make a decision. Lori loves the product but thinks that it will not expand. She opts out but with an offer to Noah for an internship opportunity in her company. Barbara offered $35,000 for 35% share. She stated that they should start producing girl-friendly stickers.
Robert enjoyed and fell in love with the toy. He offered $50,000 in exchange for a 50% stake in Paper Box Pilots. Kevin offered $35,000 for 50% equity. These offers amazed Noah.
Paper Box Pilots Closing Deal in Shark Tank
After deliberation, Noah’s father advised him to consider an offer from a shark he feels will be the best mentor. Noah accepted Kevin’s offer, and they closed the deal.
Paper Box Pilots After Shark Tank
After the Shark Tank pitch, Noah sealed the deal with Kevin. Paper Box Pilots experienced a surge in orders via its website. The team stated that their orders grew beyond what they had received in the past 8 months a few weeks after their pitch. Also, Noah took Barbara’s advice and added girl-friendly stickers to their list.
The company offered decorative stickers only. They did not sell any boxes, citing that they wanted people to use their old boxes. Their aim was to conserve the environment by encouraging the reusing and recycling of the old boxes at home. The company also launched Shark Tank Special, a package that contained their three inaugural design stickers and sold for $20.
Current Update: Is Paper Box Pilots Still In Business?
Paper Box Pilots is no longer in business. Its website is not active. Also, the company’s social media pages were last updated before June 2015. Noah closed the company to concentrate on his education.
FAQs
How much does the product cost?
The Paper Box Pilots sold each kit for $7.99. They also launched a special kit dubbed Shark Tank special package and offered it to customers at $20. This package contained three toy design stickers.
How do Paper Box Pilots help you?
Paper Box Pilots produces decorative toy stickers with directions for transforming boxes into creative toys. The concept helps parents to gift their kids with homemade toys that kids would love using already available materials in their home.
The parents would save money on buying toys. The idea also helps in conserving the environment by encouraging the reuse and recycling of cardboard boxes at home.
Why did Paper Box Pilots shut down?
There is no clear reason why Paper Box Pilots went out of business. However, Noah might have decided to first focus on his education and do business later.
What is the net worth of Paper Box Pilots?
The net worth of Paper Box Pilots was estimated to be $140,000 during the Shark Tank pitch. There is no current estimation of its net worth for 2022 as the company is no longer in business.
What is Noah’s net worth?
Noah’s net worth is unknown.
What percentage of Paper Box Pilots did Kevin O’Leary own?
Paper Box Pilots agreed to offer a 50% stake in their company to Kevin O’Leary in exchange for a $35,000 capital investment.
What was the company’s first round of funding?
The deal between Kevin and Paper Box Pilots did not explain whether the funding was in phases or a one-time thing.
