Stakt Mat: An update on their status after appearing in Shark Tank Where are they now?
Millie Blumka and Taylor Borenstein, both entrepreneurs, appeared in the third episode of season 14 of “Shark Tank” with their product Stakt Mat in hopes of receiving a life-changing investment from one of the sharks. The Stakt mat prides itself on being the all-in-one yoga mat that can assist you in practicing the various styles of yoga that you may be interested in. Due to the fact that the product eliminates the need to carry additional mats, we made the decision to investigate the company further.
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Who are they and what do they do?
While a student at Tulane University, Millie Blumka was active in various social organizations, eventually earning a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology. Millie also landed a job as a fashion marketing intern at Runway2Street while she was in college, giving her some much-needed work experience. Millie began her career at SinglePlatform after graduating as an Inside Sales Representative. However, in October 2017, she was given an opportunity to advance to the role of Senior Partnerships Account Executive.
Millie left SinglePlatform in October 2018 and joined Simplifeye as a Senior Channel & Partner Sales Executive. Shortly thereafter, she was promoted to sales manager at Simplifeye. Millie didn’t stay in one place for long, and when she was offered the opportunity to become a Partnerships Manager at Showfields in May 2021, she took the step. Nonetheless, she managed to earn another promotion and now serves as Director of Partnerships in the same company.
On the other hand, Taylor Borenstein graduated from Tulane University’s AB Freeman School of Business in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing. During her time at university, she worked as an intern for a number of organizations including Tour Director, Course Hero, Inc., ConvergeDirect and Bloomberg. After graduating in 2016, she began working as a product specialist for Bloomberg. Despite the fact that Taylor hasn’t had many job changes, she is incredibly results driven and has always let her talent and work ethic do the talking.
Taylor was promoted to the position of Senior Product Specialist at Bloomberg a few months after she began working there, and after two further promotions, she is now Team Lead, Product Implementation at Bloomberg LP. Her career at Bloomberg only began a few months ago. Because Taylor and Millie wanted to push themselves further in their workouts, they came up with the idea for the Stakt mat. Most yoga mats are designed to be rather thin for comfort reasons, so the user cannot engage in more difficult activities such as sculpting, Pilates, or high-intensity exercise on them. Also, carrying two mats, one for yoga and one for other forms of exercise, becomes an unbearable burden after a while.
Realizing that there was no solution to their problem, Taylor and Millie put their heads together and came up with the idea for the Stakt Mat. The Stakt Mat is a more substantial take on the traditional yoga mat, designed for more strenuous exercise in addition to yoga is. In addition, due to the fact that it can be folded, consumers can use it for a variety of additional exercises, such as: In addition, the folding mechanism allows users to store the mat in a space-saving manner, and the mat itself is easy to clean with water and oil-free soap.
Where can I find Stakt Mat now?
Millie and Taylor were aware that the concept of the Stakt mat was extraordinarily creative; Nevertheless, they were also aware that they had to advertise in a way that was appropriate to the target group. Because of this, and the fact that the businessmen were knowledgeable about yoga and other forms of exercise, they partnered with fitness trainers in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood to sponsor the mats and expand their client base. They also used social media, and much to their amazement, a video they made about Stakt Mat went viral on the TikTok app. Therefore, when the mat became available to the public, there was a mad rush to get one’s hands on one and supplies ran out quickly
Despite the product’s early success, however, difficulties loomed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in the closure of many businesses and wreaked havoc on Stakt Mat’s supply lines. Millie and Taylor had to spend money they didn’t have to find solutions to the logistical problems they were facing, but they persevered in their efforts because they were desperate to win. The outbreak was eventually contained, and when normal operations resumed, a surge in sales was seen almost immediately.
Additionally, in addition to successfully running a business, the two individuals also support a variety of charities and run a program called the Upcycle Program. This program allows consumers to trade in their used Stakt mats for a discount when purchasing a new one. Customers interested in purchasing a Stakt mat can only do so through the company’s official website. Despite the fact that the mats come in a variety of colors, a single mat can be purchased for $86 despite costing more. The opportunity to watch Millie and Taylor’s meteoric rise has been very motivating and we are confident that the company will continue to thrive in the not too distant future.
Episode 3 of “Shark Tank” will air on Friday, October 7 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, and the eclectic streak will be featured in the episode. The concept will be introduced by the product’s co-founders Millie Blumka and Taylor Borenstein, “Sharks” Mark Cuban, Daymond John, Kevin O’Leary and Lori Greiner, and guest shark Kendra Scott.
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New episode of Shark Tank
“New York City entrepreneurs introduce their 2-in-1 foldable fitness machine that brings a new level of versatility to your workout routine,” the company’s website reads.
In addition, they serve as each other’s primary source of support. They started out as friends, and as a result, they value each other very much and trust each other’s judgment.
According to Millie, “It’s really good to have this support system because we have a group chat with all of us and our partners and ideas are always being thrown out.”
They get a lot of motivation from other women entrepreneurs and social media influencers they follow, and these women motivate them every day to turn their idea into reality. Here they get a lot of inspiration. These ladies inspire people to imitate what they have done in order to achieve the same success they have.
And it is very evident that they have learned from the very best. They have used a variety of inventive marketing campaigns and collaborations to promote their product and these efforts have been successful in making people fall in love with Stakt. They were able to grab the attention of thousands of people before they even launched their product by things like sponsoring exercise classes in SOHO or collaborating with fitness influencers. They were able to completely sell out Stakt mats when they first launched when the video became popular on TikTok.
Of course, the road to a successful launch with all tickets sold out isn’t as glamorous as it might seem on social media. The journey is never without challenges and opportunities for growth. Especially if you are starting a business during a pandemic that is affecting the entire world.
The epidemic caused a series of supply chain disruptions, which was one of the toughest obstacles Millie and Taylor had to overcome. Finding solutions to ship products from overseas on time and without exceeding budget allocation was not an easy task.
Taylor and Millie emphasized the importance of continuing education as they reflected on the difficulties their company has faced while speaking about their business.
Shark tank details
According to their Instagram profiles, Taylor Borenstein and Millie Blumka are the co-founders of a “multifunctional, patent-pending, stackable exercise mat.” This mat can be stacked for convenient storage.
Taylor Borenstein and Millie Blumka have been close friends since they were students at Tulane University. Their shared passion for yoga was the catalyst that brought them together.
Taylor attended Tulane University’s AB Freeman School of Business, where she completed the Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing. She then completed the Product Management study program offered by the General Assembly.
She began her professional life as a tour director at Camp IHC and has worked her way up the ladder of success over time. Before becoming team lead for product implementation at Bloomberg LP, she held various other positions and worked for various companies.
At the same time, Millie attended Tulane University, where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in psychology. She began her professional life as an intern in the fashion marketing department at Runway2Street. She currently serves as Director of Partnerships at SHOWFIELDS.
She and her partner just announced their engagement.
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Appearance of Stakt on Shark Tank
Yoga devotees Millie and Taylor, who are also co-founders of Stakt, came up with the idea for the company when they were unsuccessful in their search for a mat that “would support their new fitness plan,” which included Pilates and Sculpt , and strength training.
Millie & Taylor mentioned the following in a discussion of the Stakt on their official website, shopstakt.com:
“Our workouts have adapted to the changing landscape of the world around us.
Stakt was founded out of a passion for sweating and a desire for change. Since our “home workout” consisted of more than just a weekly relaxing yoga class, we needed a fitness mat that could keep up with us.
They designed Stakt, the first stackable exercise mat, which after a lengthy study and design process features a unique, foldable shape for increased support, flexibility and mobility while walking. Stakt is currently the subject of a patent application.
The company’s co-founders promoted the mat by paying for and hosting classes in Manhattan and SoHo. They’ve even worked with people who make a significant impact in the fitness industry to bring consumer attention to their products.
After launch, their product quickly became popular on TikTok and was quickly bought to capacity. The company’s co-founders are currently appearing on the Shark Tank show to promote their product and increase sales.
Characteristics of the Stakt mat
A 10 millimeter thick Stackt mat can be folded “once or twice” to provide additional cushioning for joints. This mat is described as “lightweight and extremely compact”. The exercise mat “converts into a block that can be used for tricep dips, planks, push-ups, lunges and more” when fully folded.