Weighted Compression Gear – TITIN

Patrick Whaley was your typical 90 pound weakling when he first got the idea for TITIN , his line of weighted compression gear. He’ll pitch his product to the Sharks in episode 609 on Halloween night. Whaley used to walk around with a weighted backpack when he was a skinny kid to help build muscle. As he got older, bodybuilding became a big part of his lifestyle and he began sketching and making prototypes for weighted compression gear.

While majoring in mechanical engineering at Georgia Tech, Patrick’s life took a horrible turn: he got shot in the chest during a mugging and his life was very much in danger. After long months of hospitalization and rehab, he returned to bodybuilding and his dream of making the best weighted compression gear in the world.

What he invented was essentially a spandex-like compression shirt for working out with weights in the arms, shoulders, chest, and abdomen. The weights help build speed, strength, and stamina faster. You can also heat or cool the weights for recuperative assistance. The TITIN  gear has the added benefit of making whoever is wearing them look like some kind of super-hero!

Whaley explains the forces at work behind the HyperGravity technology at work in his weighted compression gear system: “The body naturally creates muscle fibers when placed under additional weight, and the TITIN Force System capitalizes on this type of resistance training. The TITIN Force Shirt System adds an extra eight pounds while the TITIN Force Shorts System provides an additional five pounds, giving athletes the option to train under 13 additional pounds of resistance.”

With $100K plus raised on Kickstarter, $1 million raised on Fundable, and endorsements from professional athletes ranging from NFL players, to competitive runners, to UFC Fighters and Olympic Speed Skaters, Whaley has proven the market for weighted compression gear. Now all he has to do is convince a Shark to become a TITIN !

My Take on Weighted Compression Gear

I am not a professional athlete (though I did get lucky enough to marry one). I’m not a bodybuilder either, but I do walk 4-6 miles a day, five days a week to keep active and in reasonable shape. When I injured my knee a few years back, the doctor had me buy ankle weights to help build strength back during rehab. It’s a simple concept: run, walk or work out with added weight and you’ll get in shape faster. Whaley  found a way to make his weighted compression gear functional and (depending who you ask) fashionable.

This is a product I’d like to try, though at $250 for the shirt, it’s beyond the range of my “Shark Tank product impulse buy zone.” I could burn more calories while walking wearing the TITIN  gear, so it would definitely benefit me. I also like the ability to heat the weighted gel inserts; it could come in handy on those winter morning walks and would certainly feel good on my creaky bones and muscles.

I think Mr. Whaley is on to something big and will have a very successful business in the long run. I can see every professional athlete wanting Titin gear and the masses will soon follow. This brand could be as ubiquitous as Under Armor before long.

Will Sharks Bulk Up TITIN with some Cash?

The Sharks have proof of concept with TITIN , due to their acceptance in the athletic community and their successes raising capital. If they can’t see the potential of this business, they’ve been in the Tank too long. The only Shark I can’t see making a play for TITIN  is Lori –  it just doesn’t fit her product model.

All the other Sharks could be players though. Mark will see the opportunities for pro sports promotion and licensing. Imagine a set of TITIN  gear with your favorite sports team logo plastered all over it. He may bid if the numbers are good and he likes Whaley personally. Robert is another Shark who could bid – he’s invested in sporting goods before. Kevin will bid if the business makes money, but he’ll surely have issues with the valuation (he almost always does). Daymond may want work out gear in his portfolio too and he’ll surely see the branding opportunities.

I think TITIN  will field multiple offers for the weighted compression gear business, but the offers can’t be one-sided, Shark loaded deals. If he gets an equitable offer, Mr. Whaley will leave with a deal.