Stakt Founders on ‘Shark Tank’ Lessons & Scaling a Fitness Brand: ‘After the Show, We Left Our Jobs’
Millie Blumka and Taylor Borenstein might not have come home from ABC’s “Shark Tank” with a deal, but the experience was invaluable in helping grow their fitness brand and reach new consumers
When Millie Blumka and Taylor Borenstein introduced Stakt on “Shark Tank” in 2022, their foldable exercise mat drew national attention for its ability to double as a step and add variety to workouts.
While their on-air pitch secured interest from Lori Greiner, the deal ultimately didn’t go through, a reality for many companies that appear on the show, where only a fraction of investments survive due diligence.
Still, the founders say the experience was transformative.
“Being on ‘Shark Tank’ was surreal,” Borenstein told Athletech News. “It pushed us into the spotlight in a way we never could have created on our own. Suddenly, millions of people were seeing Stakt in action.”
“We got, I think, three million eyes on us at a very new time, and we did, in the weekend that we aired … as much revenue as we had done in the first six months since we launched,” she added.
Blumka said the process also forced them to refine their story: “The show taught us how important it is to simplify your message and clearly communicate the value of what you’ve built. That’s something we’ve carried with us ever since.”
She also noted how the TV moment accelerated their decision to go all-in: “After the show, we left our jobs because we were able to, and we were hyper-focused on capturing all the attention we had just gotten.”
An Outsider’s Perspective
Unlike many fitness founders, Blumka and Borenstein didn’t come from gyms or studios. Their backgrounds were outside the industry, which they now see as a strength.
“My focus on finance and operational-related tasks and (Millie’s) focus on sales and partnerships definitely have merged and are still the two channels that we focus on at Stakt,” Borenstein said.
“That outsider perspective gave us freedom,” Blumka added. “We weren’t afraid to ask, ‘Why hasn’t anyone done this yet?’ ‘What if a mat could do more than just lie flat?’”
More Than Just a Simple Exercise Mat
They believe the Stakt mat — a foldable yoga mat that can double as a piece of exercise equipment — reflects a larger shift toward functional, space-saving equipment designed for hybrid fitness routines.
“We let the industry tell us where it was going to fit, rather than the other way around,” Borenstein said. “It stores really neatly (for gyms), or it fits well in a physical therapy office, because the multi-purpose use case makes it multifunctional through physical therapy.”
On the consumer side, they’ve learned mats are personal. “We don’t take it personally if the Stakt mat is (not) the mat for every single person,” Borenstein added. “There is no best for everyone. Some people prefer Manduka, some Alo, some Stakt, some Lululemon.”
On B2B, the value proposition is sharper: “A studio is looking for convenience, easy to clean and long lasting, and that’s what we offer for them,” Borenstein noted.
Blumka emphasized how DTC and B2B now reinforce each other.
“It really has become a flywheel effect,” she said. “Our DTC consumer is able to try the mat firsthand. Being able to actually have the experience on the mat, you understand, like, oh, this mat is different than what’s out there. That has really been helpful from a B2B studio standpoint, of having that flywheel effect come to life.”
The “Shark Tank” spotlight also broadened their demographic reach.
“It opened our eyes a bit to new demographics, like the 45-plus woman who is using it for support,” said Blumka.
Eyeing Studio Expansion
Since “Shark Tank,” Stakt has continued to grow deliberately, balancing visibility with sustainability. The founders recently took on outside capital, but on their terms.
“We bootstrapped it 100% up until (around) April of this year,” Borenstein noted. “We brought on some (angel) investors, very strategically. They come from our industry. They’ve built similar businesses before, and it’s their expertise and their access that’s been helpful, in addition to the capital.”
The women are also building national reach while staying lean.
“From the DTC side, we actually have storage lockers — we call it our blue bag program, in cities across the US,” Blumka said. “It started in New York; it’s become a really great way for us to partner with brands, studios, instructors, and (let) them host their own events while using Stakt products. We now have these in New York, LA, Miami, Chicago, Austin, Philly and the Hamptons.”
Looking ahead, expansion into fitness studios is a priority, Borenstein shared, noting Stakt is in around 450 studios today.
Even as they scale, the founders want every studio to feel like a true partner.
“We want to be more than just, like, a sale to our studios,” Blumka said. “We want it to feel like a partnership and a relationship. We’re always thinking through how we can champion our studios.”
That includes seasonal activations and regional presence: this summer, Stakt supported Hamptons programming, while their locker network kept the brand present at other events and hotel partners.
“We’re open about the ups and downs,” Blumka said. “Entrepreneurship is not always glamorous, and I think people connect more when you admit that. At the end of the day, we created Stakt because we love movement and wanted to make it more accessible and fun. That’s what keeps us grounded.”