Leggings have revolutionized gym attire, offering unparalleled comfort for fitness enthusiasts. However, Matador Meggings believe they’ve spotted a gap in the market for men. Founded by Valentine Aseyo, the company sells innovative athletic wear suited for guys. Valentine appeared on the latest episode of Shark Tank but didn’t get a deal. As of 2023, Matador Meggings is worth an estimated $2 million.
Valentine Aseyo’s Story
Matador Meggings stood out on the show with its non-VPL modesty pad that subtly masks the groin area. It also has extra features like an inner drawstring, a towel loop, multiple pockets, and a moisture-wicking fabric.
Valentine Aseyo got the idea when he was training to become a yoga instructor. In his class, he was surrounded by women in yoga pants and found himself asking why there wasn’t similar clothing attire for men.
He tried shopping but came out empty-handed. Before this, the fitness enthusiast was in the tech business, working for companies like Facebook, Bandsintown, and IBM. Thus, it was only natural for him to see this as a lucrative opportunity.
Men who wore leggings usually had shorts on top to cover their private parts. But Aseyo wanted men to have something they could wear with confidence. So, he engineered ‘meggings,’ the leggings for men.
Founding Matador Meggings
Valentine had the initial idea for the company in 2015, but didn’t launch Matador Meggings until 2019. The founder admitted he was new to entrepreneurship, but his background in marketing, product development, and sales still comes in handy.
In 2022, Matador Meggings launched a funding round and raised an undisclosed amount from StartOut. Four years after the startup went public, it still had no fierce competitors in the market. There were several knockoffs, but none came close to the original brand.
Thanks to this, Matador Meggings gained a lot of media traction and featured in media outlets such as the New York Magazine and Men’s Journal. Valentine Aseyo filmed the episode for Shark Tank in June 2023 and had to wait less than four months to make it to air. Valentine made a memorable pitch and handed out samples to the Sharks.
After Shark Tank
The company was already doing well, but Shark Tank will give sales a huge boost over the next 48 hours. They only found out a few weeks ago their episode would air but they should be able to handle orders. Aseyo might struggle to scale the business as knock-off products flood the market.
If you’re looking to buy their products, check out their website, MatadorMeggings.com. Their meggings have an average rating of 4.9 stars from over 6,000 customer reviews. In addition to leggings they sell shorts, tops, and biking clothes. All of these are made using the same materials as the meggings.
The company should be careful about releasing too many SKU’s quickly. Valentine Aseyo reveals that his company’s journey is only “1% complete,” so he is far from done.
1 Comment
I bought Matador Meggings when they first came on the market but didn’t care for the fit. I wouldn’t pay $90 for these Meggings when I can get more comfortable leggings in the ladies section of Walmart for $12 or less.