Englewood company STOMP Athletics pitching its products on ‘Shark Tank’

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Englewood-based STOMP Athletics is making ready to pitch its shoe traction products on “Shark Tank.”

In the sport of basketball, traction is all the pieces. STOMP Athletics Founder and CEO David Gonzales knew there needed to be a greater solution to keep grip on the court docket.

“I prided myself on being an ultra-competitive defender,” Gonzales stated. “I was sliding around like crazy. I was the guy that wiped my shoes with my hands. Sometimes, I’d like my fingers. It’s just disgusting.”

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Englewood company STOMP Athletics pitching its products on ‘Shark Tank’

Gonzales created his first product sketches in 2007, and held on to them for years, earlier than creating STOMP Athletics in 2021. The company creates products, together with flooring mats and “shoe armor” that sits proper on high of a participant’s sneakers, to take away filth and restore grip.

STOMP Athletics Director of Sales Michael Manoogian joined the crew in 2023 whereas he was nonetheless a university pupil at Texas Christian University (TCU_.

“I knew this was going to be a huge product when… anytime I would go to sell at a conference or a trade show, I would sell out. That’s when no other tables were selling stuff,” Manoogian stated.

Former Denver Nuggets participant and coach Bill Hanzlik instantly purchased in, changing into one of many company’s first main buyers.

“If you have traction, you’re immediately better than your opponent,” Hanzlik stated. “Plus, the risk of injury if you’re sliding around, you’ve got a chance you could roll an ankle or hurt something. So, I’m a big believer in it.”

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Manoogian didn’t need to cease at commerce exhibits. He utilized for “Shark Tank” on-line and, earlier than they knew it, they had been standing on stage prepared to satisfy the Sharks.

“I cannot wait to see what our sales do over the next day, week, month, because I think they’re going to go exponentially north,” Hanzlik stated.

“I am so happy I did this,” Gonzales stated. “It was surreal. It was fun. It really brought all of this into a different perspective for me of just like, hey, we can run businesses and have a lot of fun doing it.”

Their episode of Shark Tank premieres Wednesday, April 15, at 9 pm on Denver7. Wednesday, April 15 at 9 pm on Denver7.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been transformed to this platform with the help of AI. Our editorial crew verifies all reporting on all platforms for equity and accuracy.

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