SCARBOROUGH — A Maine native believes he has found the cure for “bed head,” and he’s going on national television to convince a panel of celebrity investors to sink money into the idea.
Max Valverde, who grew up in Scarborough, will make an appearance on the popular ABC reality show “Shark Tank” on March 21 to pitch his “Morninghead” product.
On “Shark Tank,” wealthy investors including Mark Cuban, best known as the outspoken owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, and fashion expert Daymond John listen to business offers and decide whether to give the up-and-coming entrepreneurs financial support — or send them home emptyhanded.
If Valverde convinces the investors to help boost his startup “Morninghead,” he won’t be the first show participant with Maine ties to win over the “Shark Tank” judges.
Nearly 18 months ago, the team of Scarborough native Sabin Lomac and his cousin Jim Tselikis of Cape Elizabeth went on the show and convinced real estate mogul Barbara Corcoran to invest $55,000 in their fledgling lobster-themed California food truck and online seafood distribution business.
The show attracts 7 million viewers each week and is consistently the top-watched program in its 9 p.m. Friday time slot.
Valverde, a 2002 Scarborough High School graduate who now lives in Massachusetts, has a very different product to promote on the show than Lomac and Tselikis. A self-proclaimed “night showerer,” he long groused about how to overcome “bed head” in the morning without taking a second shower.
“I shower at night and every morning I had to deal with my crazy bed hair. Showering again wasn’t necessary, so for years I tried wetting my hair in the sink — but water gets everywhere and you never really get the back of your head,” said Valverde, 29, who can’t reveal publicly how he fared on the pre-recorded television show.
“I developed Morninghead to solve that problem. It’s a cap with a super absorbent material inside so when you add water and put it on your head, no water drips down your neck, your hair gets totally wet, and you literally fix your bed head in a couple seconds,” he continued, in a statement. “I use mine every day now.”
According to a Wednesday news release, Valverde already has sold 8,000 of the unusual caps, with customers ordering from as many as 45 different countries. He sells the items for $8 each through his website, www.morninghead.com.
An ABC news release about the episode describes Valverde as “a confident entrepreneur” who “tries to school the Sharks, even those without hair, on a ‘paradigm shift in morning grooming.’”
“Filming ‘Shark Tank’ was a blast — it’s a great show and I feel honored to be part of it,” said Valverde.
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