Who is Jeffrey Simon?
Jeffrey Simon worked on short films in 1990s Hollywood, including helping produce a spoof called Scriptfellas, and later worked as a nutrition coach with his friend Marc Newburger, who moved in with him around 2006. That year Newburger nearly crashed on the Sunset Strip while reaching for a phone that had dropped into the gap beside his car seat. Simon admitted he'd had the same problem, and the two decided to solve it. Their first prototype was a dress sock stuffed with a car sponge; the finished Drop Stop is a neoprene filler that plugs the gap between a car seat and the center console.
The pair pitched on Shark Tank Season 4, seeking $300,000 for 15%, and closed with Lori Greiner at $300,000 for 20%. With Greiner's help, Drop Stop launched on QVC and expanded into Walmart, Target, Bed Bath & Beyond and Staples, and it became one of Amazon's best-selling car accessories. The company reported about $10 million in sales by 2015, $24 million in cumulative sales by 2017 and more than $40 million by 2024.
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