HiberTec Homes After Shark Tank: A $1 Million Deal Is Not Yet a Finished House

The HiberTec pitch asked viewers to imagine a house disappearing before a wildfire reaches it. The building lowers into a vault, a cover closes overhead, and the structure can be raised again afterward. It is a striking idea. It is also one where the distinction between a design, a patent and a completed building could scarcely matter more.

Holden Forrest and Mikke Pierson secured an on-air offer of $1 million from Barbara Corcoran, tied to a proposed first build. HiberTec’s website documents the concept and its intellectual property. The public evidence reviewed here does not establish that Corcoran’s house has been completed, independently tested in a wildfire or delivered to a homeowner.

Product snapshot

How does HiberTec Homes work?

The company’s technical overview describes a lift that moves the structure vertically, a vault and cover, and a way to manage connections to utilities as the building moves. These are separate engineering tasks. Lowering a heavy structure is not enough if its utilities cannot move safely or if the cover cannot close and protect the opening.

HiberTec lists three US patents, including the retractable-building cover patent. Patents document claims about inventions. They do not certify a particular building for occupancy, prove wildfire performance or establish that a jurisdiction has issued permits for a site.

Who built HiberTec Homes?

Forrest is the founder and CEO. Pierson joined him in the Tank; the company identifies him as a political advisor on its team. The roles are useful context for a project whose prospects depend as much on siting, permitting and local relationships as on a mechanical demonstration. HiberTec’s public materials include design renderings and floor plans, which illustrate the proposal rather than document finished houses.

Holden Forrest. Photo: HiberTec Homes.

“It’s a big idea. It’s a bold idea.” — as quoted in HiberTec’s published account of the project.

What happened to HiberTec Homes on Shark Tank?

Forrest and Pierson offered 8% for $1 million. At the opening ask the implied post-money value was $12.5 million. Corcoran’s offer took the same cash to 20%, implying $5 million on the equity alone. She also wanted her fire-damaged Pacific Palisades property to be the first build. Reporting describes a proposed price of $1,000 per square foot.

That final condition is central. A first customer can provide a site and an opportunity to demonstrate the technology, but a proposal to build is not the same as a completed project. The published price from one negotiation is not a universal quote for a home on a different lot. Episode reporting.

Deal snapshot

The first installation is both a sale and an engineering test

A conventional builder can point a prospective customer toward completed examples on comparable sites. An entirely new moving-home system has to build that record. Site geology, drainage, access for construction and local approvals can affect both cost and feasibility. Maintenance and inspection after installation matter as well: a mechanism intended for an emergency has to work after long periods without use.

These requirements make an ordinary consumer-product growth forecast a poor fit. The commercially meaningful milestones are a permitted design, site-specific engineering, construction, commissioning and third-party verification. Success at one stage does not guarantee the next.

Business model snapshot

What happened after Shark Tank?

Latest update — November 12, 2026. HiberTec publicly describes the on-air agreement and lists models, drawings and team members. Its materials support an active development effort.

A floor plan can establish what the company intends to build. A patent can establish that a claimed invention received patent protection. Neither is a substitute for an inspection report, occupancy certificate or independently documented fire test. No completed home is represented in the photographs accompanying this article.

Current status evidence

Company timeline

What should a buyer check?

Someone assessing a building proposal should ask for site-specific plans, local approvals, the responsibilities of the licensed professionals, inspection stages, maintenance obligations and documented performance evidence. The published materials are useful for understanding the idea. They should not be treated as an occupied-home safety plan or as instructions to remain in a building during an evacuation.

What can founders learn from HiberTec Homes?

Name the milestone precisely. For a construction startup, an investor handshake, an issued patent and a commissioned home each remove different risks. Reporting them separately lets the project receive credit for real progress without suggesting a safety-critical system has demonstrated more than the evidence supports.

The Season 17 episode guide lists the other pitches. Readers following the other investment decisions in this part of Season 17 can also find Hele Outdoors, Hang Hero, R1SE.

Frequently asked questions

Who presented HiberTec Homes on Shark Tank? Founder Holden Forrest pitched with investor and team member Mikke Pierson.

What did the founders ask for? $1 million for 8%.

What happened in the negotiation? $1 million for 20% with Barbara Corcoran, linked to a proposed first build.

Is HiberTec Homes still operating? HiberTec publishes its concept, patents and project information.

Has a finished wildfire-tested HiberTec home been verified? The public evidence reviewed documents the concept and patents, not a completed, independently tested house.