Wilmington man makes splash on ‘Shark Tank’, gets a deal

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A Wilmington man’s product was featured on ‘Shark Tank’ and he got a deal. The local and his partner brought their business in front of the investors of the hit show ‘Shark Tank’. Matt Harris and his partner took a deal with Daymond John. John offered a $50,000 investment and a third of the company.

Harris’ product, Extreme Vehicle Protection, is aimed at keeping your belongings safe in the event of a storm or flood. Inspired by the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy, Harris said he we and his wanted to create a way to help people prepare for when bad weather hits.

The company started back in 2013, but it wasn’t necessarily smooth sailing.

“Everyone we talked to thought it was a great idea. We were just two guys through who couldn’t really get it off the ground,” Harris said.

So he took a step back from the company, came to Wilmington, focused on getting his life in order, and then…

“I got a call from my partner Kenny and he says I tried out for ‘Shark Tank,'” Harris said.

He said they didn’t know what to expect, but the confirmation emails kept coming.

“It kind of took on a life of itself and I never in a million years thought it was going to happen. I mean he stood on line for nine hours in the rain,” Harris said.

He said he was honored to be chosen from the thousands of applicants and the experience was incredible.

“We were very very happy with the whole process and how it went. It was definitely harrowing, but we did it,” Harris said.