Drumpants are wearable touch sensors that play music. You can use your wireless controller to play games and listen to music on your smartphone, thanks to Bluetooth technology. Drumpants are sensors that clip onto clothing and let you make music whenever you want without having to bring along heavy equipment, such as a drum set or piano. In addition, drumpants are compatible with PC and mobile platforms.
The Founders of Drumpants
Drumpants was founded by Tyler Freeman, who specializes in designing interfaces that bring the human body and technology closer together. He is a University of California alum with a Bachelor’s in Computer Science and a Master’s in Digital Art and New Media. As of now, he works as a software engineer for Google. Tyler formerly served as the CTO and co-founder of Taper and held positions as a software developer and UX designer at Cronologics.
The cofounder of Drumpants, Lei Yu, is currently serving as CaStle’s Director of Product Management and has an authority on boosting sales. She has experience working for Fortune 100 firms as well as start-ups like Chariot and Neura. At the University of Maryland College Park, Yu studied operations and marketing management. In 2016, she enrolled at Stanford University to study machine learning.
Drummer Tyler Freeman made Drumpants as a joke but ended up seeing a future where music creation stimulates social connection. Using design thinking, Lei Yu and the group created a prototype after raising $74,000 on Kickstarter.
The foundation of their business plan generated 720 sales as a result of preorders. They decided it was time to present Drumpants to Sharks after their Kickstarter campaign served as a proof of success.
DrumPants on Shark Tank
Lei and Tyler entered the tank and demanded $150,000 for 5% of the business. They also demonstrated the product by playing Shark Tank’s theme song on Drumpants. They describe the process and instruct the Sharks to march to the beat of pants instead of the original drum.
They display the item and admit they are not yet making any money. The team values their business at $3 million; however, it seemed a bit excessive according to Robert, one of the investors on shark tank.
Robert offers $150,000 for 20% after understanding their business strategy and concept. On the other hand, Daymond also made an offer of $250,000 for 20% of the business while inquiring about their interest in licensing. Robert reiterates his offer and believes it to be a successful proof of concept.
Lei does not like the notion of licensing, which is why Tyler didn’t accept Daymond’s offer. Tyler responds to Robert with $150,000 for 15%. However, the team’s laid back attitude and demeanor discourages the sharks from making an investment in the business. So, no deal was ever made.
Drumpants after Shark Tank
Choosing between Robert Herjavec’s long-term investment in their invention and the prospect of a license agreement with Daymond proved difficult for Lei Yu and Tyler Freeman on Shark Tank. The team’s inability to communicate and make decisions ultimately resulted in the failure of the deal.
DrumPants have nevertheless reached the market and are accessible to both wearable technology lovers and drummers. Due to an increase in demand for the product following the event, Lei’s business acumen and mentoring enabled DrumPants to achieve profitability in its first year of sales.
The Sharks were turned off by DrumPants’ laid-back attitude, yet their product has had a significant impact on music. However, they do not currently have any endorsements from genuinely well-known musicians who extol the virtues of their offerings.
The Tappur software, which is still in its Beta development stage, is another addition to the DrumPants product range and promises to alter how you use your smartphone device. Given that DrumPants is on the cutting edge of design and technology, Robert Herjavec would reasonably question if he ever regrets not being more understanding of their needs. If given the chance to consider all the benefits, Tyler and Lei would have most certainly accepted the offer, but for the time being, they are going their separate ways.
Our Review of Drumpants
DrumPants is a pair of two sensors for the feet that can be fitted on the inside of your shoes and two separate drum pads that can be fitted in your pockets; they can be connected via Bluetooth to a control box with a small speaker, HDMI port, and headphone jacks that contains more than 10 sounds (drums, synths, pianos, and guitars). You create beats and rhythms by slamming the drum pads and pressing the foot pedals. Through the provided program, users can add their own sound effects to the control panel.
Numerous additional musical apps are compatible with the product as well. DrumPants may be programmed to control Google Glass, smart phones, PowerPoint presentations, and even games.
When Tyler wanted to frighten his buddies by hammering out beats while slapping his legs, he came up with the concept for DrumPants as a practical joke. Freeman, Yu, and the DrumPants team spent six years perfecting the technology after making several clunky initial prototypes. A basic model costs $99, and the Bluetooth-enabled Pro model costs $139.
Both Yu and Freeman had positions at Google as well as a number of other tech firms. With regards to production and getting DrumPants into consumers’ hands, they still have a ways to go. They presumably require a Shark to help with manufacturing and provide a capital infusion.
Pros of DrumPants
- Easy to carry
- Easy to wear
- Great sound
Cons of DrumPants
- Requires updates and maintenance
Are There Any Alternatives?
- Oddball
- AeroDrums
- Mogees
Our Final Thoughts
In the Shark Tank, Tyler Freeman and Lei Yu were presented with a difficult choice, but looking back, Robert Herjavec’s long-term investment in their idea was a much better deal than the potential short-term gains of a license agreement with Daymond. They ultimately lost out on a deal for the show due to their inability to agree and make decisions.
DrumPants have nevertheless succeeded in entering the market and are now accessible to both aficionados of wearable technology and drummers. DrumPants achieved profitability in its first year of sales thanks to the rise in demand the product experienced after the show and Lei’s commercial insight and direction.
Despite the Sharks’ distaste for the DrumPants’ carefree aesthetic, their product has had a significant influence on the music industry. The effectiveness and quality of their products have received praise from musicians, although not yet from anyone very famous.
DrumPants has received rave reviews from the music press, but the product line has now been expanded to include an app called Tappur that, despite still just being in beta development, has the potential to completely change how you use your smartphone.
It might be worthwhile to take a moment to consider whether Robert Herjavec ever feels bad about not being more flexible with DrumPants and landing a deal on the prograe, given that the company is so cutting-edge in terms of design and technology.
If Tyler and Lei had the time to weigh all the advantages, they probably would have accepted his offer right away, but for the time being, they’re dancing to a different drumbeat.
