After spending a decade running two businesses, entrepreneur Melissa Clayton is scheduled to appear on ABC’s “Shark Tank" this Friday to seek funding for her latest venture: The Matte.
The creation of The Matte brewed from Clayton’s frustration with small counter spaces in her own bathroom and whenever she traveled.
In 2015, Clayton started exploring how she could cover her sink to create a beauty counter and design something that was compact enough to store in her small bathroom. The Matte is a foldable sink cover that is large enough to hold two pounds of weight and fold up to about the size of an iPad. It is marketed as a must-have essential for anyone who has limited bathroom space or is always traveling.›
The Matte is Clayton’s second business venture, following Tiny Tags, which she founded in 2012. It's an online store specializing in personalized jewelry for mothers.
Clayton couldn't be reached for comment, but according to a testimonial she wrote on her company's website, the road to “Shark Tank” was no easy feat, as starting up production of The Matte was initially difficult.
“No one wanted to work with me because I was on a limited budget,” Clayton wrote.
Determined to get her product made, Clayton kept cold-calling industrial design firms. After a plethora of no’s, one firm turned her down but gave her the name of a freelance industrial designer. From there, The Matte was brought to life.
Clayton received a bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and got an MBA from Northeastern University.
You can see her on "Shark Tank" this Friday, April 9, from 8 to 9 p.m. ET on ABC.
