What Happened To AirBedz From Shark Tank Season 3?

Faithful followers of ABC's long-running reality series "Shark Tank" know that product pitches can run a pretty wide emotional gamut. Some are quirky and fun, while others are deadly serious, and still others are bad to the point of outright tragedy. While there's generally an influx of unbridled joy whenever a deal is offered, things can definitely get a little contentious along the way.

That is understandable, as would-be investors like Kevin O'Leary, Barbara Corcoran, and outgoing "Shark Tank" headliner Mark Cuban are typically not quick to part with their hard-earned money. Instead, they prefer to do some less-than-subtle tire-kicking before they make an offer, and even then, there's no guarantee it will be accepted by the individual who stepped into the studio to make a deal. As far as contentious pitches go, Jim Pittman's Season 3 appearance is one of the more memorable.

For his part, Pittman seemed to walk onto the "Shark Tank" soundstage with an investment-worthy product, as his AirBedz truck bed air mattresses had essentially cornered the market for such items. Pittman also claimed the mattresses were already selling well through Amazon and other online retailers, and boasted pretty solid margins from production to sales phase. Problems arose when questions of sales strategy came into play, in no small part because Pittman did not appear to have any answers. Understandably, the AirBedz founder struggled to recover after admitting as much. 

"Struggled" might not be the right word for Jim Pittman's attempts to course-correct his AirBedz pitch on "Shark Tank." The would-be entrepreneur was run through the proverbial ringer by some of the panelists. Mark Cuban was particularly feisty in his assessment of Pittman and AirBedz, but not because he didn't like the product. Cuban actually admitted that AirBedz should be dominating the truck bed market before taking Pittman to task for what he perceived to be either an absence of sales acumen or an inexcusable lack of effort from the company founder. Either way, Cuban was among the first to bow out of the bidding.

Kevin O'Leary was even less impressed after bullying Pittman to try and convince him that the truck bed mattress market wasn't too niche to be a legit money maker. Though they were nowhere near as outwardly dismissive of Pittman's vision, Daymond John and Robert Herjavec were equally uninterested in fronting the $250,000 Pittman was asking for in return for 15% of AirBedz. 

Barbara Corcoran, on the other hand, wasn't deterred by Pittman's underwhelming sales model, believing his product was primed to sell big both in America and abroad. To the near outrage of O'Leary, Corcoran even stepped up to offer Pittman the $250,000 he wanted. She did, however, alter the terms of the agreement, offering the money only if her stake in AirBedz was bumped to 50% and Pittman left the selling to her. Though even Cuban thinks it's a good deal, the price proves too high for Pittman, who declines before exiting the studio without a deal.

As Jim Pittman makes his way out of the "Shark Tank" studio, Barbara Corcoran can be heard in the background stating in no uncertain terms, "He's a fool." Slight aside, one has to admire the AirBedz founder's resistance to just suck it up and take whatever deal was on the table, especially when that deal feels more like a hostile takeover than a partnership. Nonetheless, it initially appeared that Corcoran had dodged a bullet in the months after AirBedz made its primetime debut, as Pittman found himself the subject of a patent dispute over the design of his truck bed air mattresses.

Pittman proudly declared he'd secured certain patents to his product's design in his pitch, which was a big sticking point for Corcoran. But it seems another company called Truck-Bedz had debuted a similar concept as early as 2004 and had reportedly also filed patents to that effect. As of this writing, it's unclear whether the patent dispute has been resolved one way or the other, though some outlets claim Pittman may be served an infringement notice at any given moment.

For his part, Pittman still claims to own the utility and design patents on the first air mattress designed to fit a truck bed. In the years since his "Shark Tank" appearance, he's grown his product line beyond AirBedz and now operates Pittman Outdoors, which sells everything from his signature air mattresses to truck bed and rooftop tents, coolers, awnings, and campsite chairs. Those products, among others, are now available through Pittman Outdoors online storefront, as well as Amazon, Walmart, and other major retailers.   

As it is, Jim Pittman may well have taken Mark Cuban's command to "Get off your ass and get out there and sell" to heart, as he appears to have grown AirBedz from a startup company in a niche sector of the camping gear arena to a mini outdoor empire. While arguments could be made that Barbara Corcoran's $250,000 and market know-how might've expedited the process, Pittman is likely happy to throw that "He's a fool" comment back in her face, as he was ultimately able to grow his company without giving up the 50% stake the savvy "Shark Tank" panelist was angling for.

Given how much Pittman has seemingly grown the Pittman Outdoors brand in the decade-plus since his primetime debut with AirBedz, it's not entirely clear where he plans to take his company next. Pittman Outdoors does, however, offer a handful of branded floatable products, so water sports may be one area where the company can continue to develop. Likewise, Pittman could take a cue from Coway and develop a smart mattress. But whatever lays ahead for Pittman's company, there's little question that AirBedz will play a major role in the company's success moving forward.