Maya Nazareth entered the Shark Tank seeking $250,000 for 5% of Alchemize Fightwear, a company creating combat sports gear specifically designed for women. Her pitch combined personal storytelling, market insight and strategic negotiation to ultimately secure $300,000 from three Sharks.
Nazareth opened by sharing her transformational journey:
“I started training combat sports eight years ago and it transformed me from a shy wallflower and turned me into the confident woman you see before you today.”
She identified a critical gap in the market, describing an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction during jujitsu class that leaves many women feeling exposed and mortified.
This Isn’t the First Brush Shark Tank Has Had with BJJ – They Previously Featured Rener Gracie. While the appearance of another grappling-related product on Shark Tank may surprise some, it isn’t the first time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has entered the show’s entrepreneurial spotlight. Years earlier, Rener Gracie stood before the Sharks to pitch Quikflip, his innovative hoodie-to-backpack design.
Nazareth’s solution? Gear “built for our bodies and built for battle.” She showcased her hero product, a women’s wrestling singlet with a built-in sports bra, high neckline and strategic double lining. According to her pitch, 80% of her profit comes from selling this singlet.
When discussing financials, Nazareth demonstrated impressive traction: $1.8 million in lifetime sales, growing from $300,000 to nearly $500,000 the previous year with projections of $875,000 for the current year at 3-5% profitability.
She emphasized her 100% direct-to-consumer model with a 10% Instagram engagement rate—double the industry average—and revealed a customer acquisition cost of $32 on an average order value of $157.
Defending her $5 million valuation, Nazareth cited activewear industry multiples of 4-8x revenue and predicted strategic acquisition opportunities within two to three years.
When Lori Greiner and Alexis O’Hanian offered $250,000 for 20%, Nazareth countered strategically, asking for 10%. After back-and-forth negotiations, the Sharks proposed $300,000 for 15%. Nazareth boldly countered again:
“I’m going to take my chance. Could we do the $300,000 for 12?”
Despite pushback from the other Sharks about negotiating with such powerful partners, Nazareth’s confident stance ultimately paid off, securing the increased investment amount and closing the deal with three Sharks who recognized both her business acumen and mission to empower women through combat sports.
