A father and son duo who were rejected by all five investors on Dragons’ Den are now ‘changing children’s lives’ with their innovative product.
Co-founders Matt Palfrey and his 12-year-old son Max entered the BBC One competition with the hope of securing a £50,000 investment for a 5% stake in their clothing company for neurodivergent people.
After an engaging opening pitch from Max, who is one of the youngest people ever to pitch in the Den, Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Touker Suleyman, Sara Davies and Steven Bartlett weighed up whether to invest.
But despite ‘loving’ the product, the Dragons decided that the brand lacked a clear vision, meaning the father and son walked away empty-handed.
Now, however, both Matt and Max have received high praise from customers for helping young neurodiverse children, who typically display autistic or other neurologically atypical patterns of thought or behaviour, such as with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).
In a statement on their Comfa company website, the brand is described as having one clear aim: ‘To develop innovative sensory solutions for the challenges faced by Neurodivergent children and their families, empowering them to navigate and thrive in today’s overwhelming world.’
The idea was initially created by Max back in 2021 who wondered whether he could integrate one of his beloved fidgets into a t-shirt.
To Max and his family’s surprise, there was ‘no clothing manufacturer in the entire world producing t-shirts with built-in fidgets’.
Since then, the two have attempted to build a ‘sensory-friendly clothing range’ that combats ‘scratchy seams and labels’, and have even teased the idea of finding similar t-shirts and clothing for adults.
Writing a review on the site, Ellie Foster said: ‘My son was excited to try this new style of t-shirt and he absolutely loved it.
‘He loved how soft the fabric was, he couldn’t feel the seams against his skin, or any labels. Most of all he loved the popits, he found them straight away and was just fiddling with them the whole time.’
Samantha Tilley added: ‘Clothing can be a daily battle. My son loves the Fidget-t, he complimented the softness, loved no labels and was so happy to have the pop it built in. A big thumbs up from our household.’
Meanwhile, Anna Lyons wrote: ‘The fidget t-shirt is everything it was promised it would be. It came beautifully packaged and has been worth waiting for.
‘The fabric is soft and stretchy, really good quality. The fit is good – the 16+ is nicely baggy on my 10 year old (just how he likes it) and will fit him for ages. He’s been popping the poppits without even realising, helping regulation and concentration without making a big thing of it.
‘Thank you Max & co at Comfa. We will definitely be ordering more. To have TRULY sensory friendly clothing is wonderful.’
In addition, Emma Black said: ‘Received my order today and I’m happy crying. My fussy neurodiverse 13 Yr old is giggling and happy stimming from trying on her t shirt.
‘She says it’s the best piece of clothing she’s ever owned. Suffice to say I’ll be ordering more. Completely worth the wait – thank you team and Max.’
This comes after it was revealed that two Dragons’ Den stars transformed their company into a six-figure business, despite rejections from five investors.
The brothers were pitching their seasoning and sauce brand Lumberjaxe, and requested £90,000 for a 20% stake after turning over more than £100,000.
But despite being turned down, their company is now said to be worth £250,000.
Matt and Max are featured on Thursday night’s episode of Dragon’s Den on BBC One and iPlayer.
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