Shraman Mitra
Entrepreneurs Millie Blumka and Taylor Borenstein presented their product, Stakt Mat, in ‘Shark Tank‘ season 14 episode 3, hoping for a life-changing investment from the Sharks. The Stakt Mat prides itself on being the all-in-one yoga mat that can help you practice whichever discipline you’re interested in. Hence, with the product solving the problem of having to carry multiple mats, we decided to jump in and find out more about the company!
Stakt Mat: Who Are They and What Do They Do?
Millie Blumka completed her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Tulane University in 2016 and was involved in several social organizations during her student years. Moreover, while studying at university, Millie found work as a Fashion Marketing Intern at Runway2Street, which gave her some much-needed experience. After graduation, Millie entered SinglePlatform as an Inside Sales representative, but by October 2017, she was promoted to the position of Senior Partnerships Account Executive.
In October 2018, Millie left SinglePlatform and joined Simplifeye as a Senior Channel & Partner Sales Executive before getting promoted to Sales Manager. However, unwilling to stay stagnant in a place for long, Millie switched companies in May 2021 as she was offered the role of Partnerships Manager at Showfields. However, at present, she has secured another promotion and works as a Director of Partnerships in the same company.
On the other hand, Taylor Borenstein completed her Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Tulane University’s A.B. Freeman School of Business in 2016. While she did intern for companies such as Tour Director, Course Hero, Inc., ConvergeDirect, and Bloomberg during her university years, she graduated in 2016 and entered Bloomberg as a product specialist. Although Taylor hasn’t moved around a lot in her professional career, she is extremely ambitious and has always allowed her talent and hard work to speak for herself.
Within a few months of joining Bloomberg, Taylor was promoted to the position of Senior Product Specialist, and after two more promotions, she now works as a Product Implementation Team Leader at Bloomberg LP. The Stakt Mat was born when Taylor and Millie decided to engage in more rigorous exercises. Generally, most yoga mats are pretty thin for comfort and don’t allow the user to practice more strenuous disciplines such as sculpting, Pilates, or high-intensity training. Moreover, carrying two mats, one for yoga and one for other disciplines, becomes too cumbersome after a while.
Hence, once Taylor and Millie realized there was no solution to their problem, they put their brains together and came up with Stakt Mat. The Stakt Mat is a thicker yoga mat that can be used for both yoga and other more intense workout sessions. Moreover, since it can be folded, customers can use it for various other exercises, including triceps dips and incline/decline. Furthermore, the folding mechanism allows the user to store the mat in a compact place, while the mat is easy to clean with oil-free soap and water.
Where Is Stakt Mat Now?
Even though Millie and Taylor knew that the idea of Stakt Mat was brilliant, they realized that they had to market it properly to their target audience. Thus, as they were well-versed in yoga and other forms of exercise, the entrepreneurs partnered up with fitness instructors in SoHo, Manhattan, in order to sponsor the mats and increase their reach. Moreover, they also employed social media, and much to their wonder, their video on Stakt Mat went viral on TikTok. Hence, once the mat was launched, people rushed to get their hands on one, and the stock was completely sold out.
However, even with the initial popularity, trouble was around the corner as the COVID-19 pandemic shut down businesses and disrupted Stakt Mat’s supply chains. Besides, solving such logistical problems forced Millie and Taylor to go out of their budget, but they were determined to emerge victorious. Eventually, the pandemic died down, and once regular business resumed, the sales skyrocketed once again.
Moreover, apart from running a successful business, the duo also contributes to social causes and runs the Upcycle Program, through which they take back old Stakt Mats from their customers in exchange for a discount on a new one. Customers who are interested in getting their hands on a Stakt Mat will find them exclusively on their official website, and while the mats come in different colors, they cost $86.00 for a single piece. Witnessing Millie and Taylor’s rise has been quite inspiring, and we are confident that the company is moving toward further success in the near future.
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