Baby mat maker featured on ‘Shark Tank’ is bankrupt

Wingerter A manufacturer of baby products in the south Denver metro is bankrupt because a judge ordered it to pay $3 million in attorney fees to a rival after a nearly decadelong patent fight.

Ezpz, which began as a Kickstarter campaign in 2014, is known for a dining mat that suctions in place. The company had revenue of $11.2 million in 2023 and $7.4 million in 2024.

The Parker company was featured on ABC’s “Shark Tank” in 2016. Ezpz founder Lindsey Laurain surprised the show’s hosts by valuing her company at $20 million, then surprised them again when she twice declined to sell a 5% stake for $1 million, according to media reports.

More recently, the company’s revenue fell to $2.1 million in the first half of this year. It has $3.9 million in debt and $1 million in assets, most of which is in accounts receivable.

“In 2023, BuyBuy Baby began closing its physical stores, resulting in a significant loss of revenue for Ezpz,” its bankruptcy attorney explained in a court filing last month.

“Since (Ezpz’s) products are manufactured in China, the current tariff environment has created uncertainty and has negatively impacted margins,” Aaron Conrardy went on to say.

Then, a federal judge in Louisiana ruled in early June that Ezpz must begin paying a $2.9 million court judgment to Luv N’ Care, a competitor. LNC sued Ezpz in an attempt to invalidate Ezpz’s patent for a dining mat with suction cups. After a protracted battle, LNC won in February.

Two weeks after a judge ordered Ezpz to begin paying LNC, the former company filed for Chapter 11.

“Ezpz has taken affirmative steps to reduce expenses by scaling back or eliminating certain online advertising costs, … cutting back on travel and trade show attendance, negotiating discounted rates with manufacturers and recently increasing prices,” Conrardy says.

Ezpz’s sole owner, Laurain, did not answer BusinessDen’s request for an interview.

— Justin Wingerter, The Denver Post