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Grypmat is a Veteran-founded company founded by former Air Force F-16 Mechanic, Tom Burden. Grypmat premiered on Season 9 of SharkTank when Burden landed a combo deal with Mark Cuban, Lori Grenier, and Richard Branson. Grypmat has since been named as a TIME 50 Best Inventions of 2018 and has received other awards such as the Edison award and a Core77 Design award.  

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Meet Founder & Inventor, Tom Burden

Tom Burden is from the small town of Celina, Ohio and is a former F16 Mechanic in the Air National Guard. When Tom became frustrated by his tools sliding off the aircraft he was servicing and the time wasted searching for lost hardware, he began looking for a solution.  With the skills gained as a mechanical engineering student at the University of Toledo, Tom began prototyping a non-slip rubberized tool tray in his basement.

Three years later, the Grypmat was born.  A non-slip, flexible tool mat that solves the problem of inefficient tool accessibility for mechanics and tinkerers alike

To raise money for the Grypmat, Tom launched a wildly-popular Kickstarter campaign that was fully funded in only 10 hours, resulting in over $700k in funding. Not only, did thousands of mechanics fall in love with the Grypmat through this successful Kickstarter, but so did producers from ABC’s Shark Tank. In November of 2017, Tom appeared on the hit show and pitched the Grypmat to four Sharks, walking away with a $360,000 combo deal between Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, and Richard Branson.

Since premiering on SharkTank, Grypmat has doubled its team and sales, has landed partnerships with leaders in the tool truck industry, and recently, has been named one of TIME magazine’s Best Inventions of the Year. Tom has also recently made it on to Forbes 30under30 list.

What started as an idea in his basement has now turned into an invention that is changing the workforce and world at large.

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