Metric Mate is a data analytics company helping fitness enthusiasts track their workouts. The company’s patented sensors claim to maximize your workout by attaching a device to gym equipment. Founders M-T Strickland, Braxton Davis, and Ecleamus Ricks appeared on Shark Tank but didn’t get a deal. Today, Metric Mate is worth an estimated $1.5 million.
The Founders
M-T Strickland is from Georgia and graduated with a degree in electrical engineering and mathematics. Strickland has held engineering roles at The Clorox Company, and Murata. Braxton Davis and Ecleamus Ricks Jr. are friends he met at Morehouse College.
Braxton is an attorney working as a general counsel for Facebook and Ecleamus is a software engineer based in Austin. The three co-founders have eight degrees between them!
Founding Metric Mate
M-T, Braxton, and Ecleamus became friends through their love for fitness and entrepreneurship. The three amigos decided to start a business and created a technology called Training Accountability Partner.
It can be applied using a sensor that can be attached to any strength training equipment. This helps you monitor personal exercise stats like power level, reps, burned calories, and force. There’s an app and assessment program to track your workouts.
Metric Mate launched in 2017, and the founders initially targeted athletes and regional gyms to get their product out there. The entrepreneurs also obtained three patents to protect their intellectual property.
Getting on Shark Tank
The business was ranked among Georgia’s “Top 40 Innovative Companies”, but has no plans to slow down. In 2022, Metric Mate got funding from Techstars and were backed by the Atlanta Accelerator program.
Nevertheless, the entrepreneurs were eager to raise money to fund growth and bring on a Shark as a strategic partner. They appeared on episode 11 of season 14 and the guys came across as likable people.
Of course, they got Mark Cuban to demo the product. Sadly, only Kevin O’Leary made an offer but the valuation was too low. They tried to counteroffer but Kevin didn’t budge.
After Shark Tank
Appearing on Shark Tank should serve as a springboard to bigger things for Metric Mate. On the night the episode aired, 15,000 people visited their website. In an interview with HBCU Pulse, the founders revealed they got the most orders they’ve ever had. When the episode re-aired for a second time a few months later, the same thing happened again!
You can pre-order the T.A.P Sensor for $199, pay $45 for an assessment or purchase a t-shirt for $19.99 on their website. As expected, the mobile app is compatible with Android and iOS devices.
The Metric Mate app has a solid 5-star rating from 10 reviews on the App Store. Their technology is trusted by many professional trainers and therapists. In August 2023, they created a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo but only raised $1,161 from 10 backers.
Although the fitness space is crazy competitive, products such as Simply Fit Board and Kodiak Cakes have become huge Shark Tank success stories. Hopefully, Metric Mate can join the list but it will be challenging trying to break into the market.
The product has potential as it would be a great tool for college athletes and coaches. Hopefully they won’t regret turning down Mr Wonderful’s offer. As Cuban said “75% of a watermelon is a whole lot better than 100% of a grape.”
