A pair of longtime Western New York friends are hoping to shake up the orthopedic pillow industry with their new product Bob the Pillow.
Matt Burwick, a financial adviser, and Ryan Mills, an attorney and real estate agent, created Bob the Pillow – an orthopedic leg pillow used to help relieve pain while sleeping – after both spent years trying countless other orthopedic pillows that didn't help alleviate their pain.
Burwick struggles with hip and knee pain and Mills has back issues.
So, during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns in April 2020, the friends decided to make their own pillow out of foam and hot glue from an arts and crafts store.
The product is much-improved from that early prototype, Burwick said, and Bob the Pillow became available for purchase online at the end of July. The pillow is on sale at bobthepillow.com for $99.
"What we're trying to do is be that final pillow that you need to buy," Burwick said. "I personally have bought probably about a dozen types of pillows over the past 10 years. So I've probably spent somewhere in the $600 to $700 range. And every one of them is literally just piled up in my closet."
Matthew Burwick of East Amherst, left, and Ryan Mills of Clarence, co-founders of Bob the Pillow, stand for a portrait in East Amherst on Aug. 15, 2022. Bob the Pillow offers an orthopedic leg pillow people can use while sleeping to help with back, hip, and knee pain.
What makes Bob the Pillow different?
According to Burwick, there are three major elements to Bob the Pillow that make it better than other orthopedic leg pillows on the market:
1. It has a divot for the thighs, knees or ankles that allow the pillow to rest securely in place.
2. There's a hole in the middle that allows for more airflow so people don't get sweaty at night.
3. The pillow is wider, which helps users stay in the proper side sleeping position throughout the night instead of flipping on to their back and stomach. The wider base also gives the legs full range of motion.
While Mills and Burwick were developing Bob the Pillow, they consulted with a chiropractor, two physical therapists and an orthopedic surgery center all in Western New York.
Matthew Burwick poses with Moose, his dog, to demonstrate a way to use his company's product, Bob the Pillow, in East Amherst on Aug. 15, 2022. Bob the Pillow is an orthopedic leg pillow people can use while sleeping to help with back, hip, and knee pain. Burwick started the company with his business partner, Ryan Mills.
Future of Bob the Pillow
The most challenging part of creating Bob the Pillow was dealing with the logistics of manufacturing a product overseas and shipping it to the United States, Burwick said. The final version of the pillow was ready a year ago, but the company encountered production and shipping delays.
In the future, Burwick and Mills want to manufacture Bob the Pillow in Western New York. But financially, that's not yet feasible for a new company.
"We'd have to sell a pillow for $500 a piece to break even," Burwick said.
To spread the word about Bob the Pillow, Burwick and Mills are working with chiropractors who can recommend the pillow to their clients who could benefit from using it. Their next step is to do the same with orthopedic surgeons, Burwick said.
"Now we have this pillow and it meets a lot of the needs of people that have had knee replacements, hip replacements, have lower back issues, things like that," Burwick said. "We're not making any money, but we're helping people so that's a good thing."
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Welcome to Buffalo Next. This newsletter from The Buffalo News will bring you the latest coverage on the changing Buffalo Niagara economy – from real estate to health care to startups. Read more at BuffaloNext.com.
What: The Western New York startup and technology community is pushing to make Buffalo one of three cities to host the first Black Tech Weekend.
Tell me more: Black Tech Weekend stems from Black Tech Week, a weeklong conference that brings together tech professionals, founders, investors, allies, and all members of the global Black tech community. Organizers want to bring Black Tech Weekend, a smaller version of the weeklong event, to two cities in the U.S. and one internationally. Buffalo is vying to be one of those cities.
Why it matters: Black founders are the fastest growing class of entrepreneurs in the United States. In 2021, the number of Black businesses increased 38%, according to the Black Tech Weekend organization. But Black founders and businesses are significantly underfunded, receiving less than 3% of all venture capital funding in the U.S.
As Buffalo works to establish itself as an emerging tech hub, hosting Black Tech Weekend would give the city a chance to "really showcase the opportunities that are here for diverse founders, for black founders that are looking for funding," 43North spokesperson Maura Devlin said.
"We love this as an opportunity to bring Black founders from all over the country and let them see what's happening on the ground here," Devlin said. "And maybe we might move them to want to be a part of what we're building in Buffalo or even better yet, want to bring their company here to build it."
To vote for Buffalo to host Black Tech Weekend, visit blacktechweek.com/btweekend.
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Five reads on the Buffalo Niagara economy
1. Pickup in WNY housing inventory means more opportunity and time for buyers. Homebuyers in Western New York are starting to breathe easier and take more time before making their decisions, now that there are more homes for sale on the market and less need for them to act quickly. But they still can't dawdle. And it doesn't mean they're getting a deal on houses, which are now priced much higher than they would have been a year or two ago.
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3. A remote possibility: living in Buffalo, working for out-of-town employers. The pandemic has opened up job possibilities that were relatively uncommon before spring 2020, like working from home for a company far from the Buffalo Niagara region. It's a welcome twist on the all-too-familiar story of local workers finding jobs elsewhere.
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The Buffalo Next team gives you the big picture on the region’s economic revitalization. Email tips to buffalonext@buffnews.com or reach technology and startups reporter Natalie Brophy at nbrophy@buffnews.com.
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I cover technology and startups for The Buffalo News. A North Tonawanda native, I returned to Buffalo in January 2022 after five years of reporting in Central New York and Wisconsin.
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Matthew Burwick of East Amherst, left, and Ryan Mills of Clarence, co-founders of Bob the Pillow, stand for a portrait in East Amherst on Aug. 15, 2022. Bob the Pillow offers an orthopedic leg pillow people can use while sleeping to help with back, hip, and knee pain.
Matthew Burwick poses with Moose, his dog, to demonstrate a way to use his company's product, Bob the Pillow, in East Amherst on Aug. 15, 2022. Bob the Pillow is an orthopedic leg pillow people can use while sleeping to help with back, hip, and knee pain. Burwick started the company with his business partner, Ryan Mills.
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