round21 on Shark Tank: Meet the founder who was professional basketball player

round21 founder Jasmine Maietta appears on Shark Tank (Image via Christopher Willard/ABC)
round21 founder Jasmine Maietta appears on Shark Tank (Image via Christopher Willard/ABC)

The upcoming episode of Shark Tank season 13 is set to feature Jasmine Maietta, the founder of round21. The company creates sports gear blended with art and creativity.

Maietta herself was a professional basketball player. The varsity athlete at Bowdoin has played for a Spanish league team called Club Baloncesto de Tres Cantos. The founder was also a coach for six years and later worked with companies such as Under Armor, Peleton, Reebok and Hasbro.

Maietta left her corporate job as a global VP in June 2020 and started her own company, round21.


Meaning of round21

Maietta’s idea behind round21 was to bring together sports and the arts. Her sports line started with ping pong paddles covered with artwork, followed by football, basketball, soccer balls and backboards.

The founder’s bio on the brand’s website reads:

“The idea for round21 came in 2018, after founder, Jasmine Maietta had spent decades with athletes, entrepreneurs, artists, and entertainers who love sports. round21 empowers expression in sports in collaboration with artists and athletes.”

The page further explained the meaning of round21. The word “round” depicts unity and community, while number “2” stands for partnership and collaboration, and number “1” represents “the original YOU.”

A diverse group of artists designs and creates the products, which are then released under limited editions The information regarding the artists is available on the website. Maietta’s company has also partnered up with the NBA and several other sports and fitness groups.


Where to buy?

Interested buyers can purchase various round21 products from the brand’s site or Amazon. The price range varies from product to product.

Basketball’s starting price and its backboard’s price is $59, while the price range of ping pong paddles is between $12.99 to $150. Soccer balls cost $35 and NFLPA licensed football with players’ artwork on it valued at $150.

round21 also sells apparel, flip flops, ping pong balls and soccer stickers.


round21 will appear on Shark Tank on Friday

round21 founder Jasmine Maietta will appear on Shark Tank to find an investor who can help in managing the growth of her company and get more licensing deals.

The company has been mentioned in the official synopsis of Shark Tank episode 17. It reads:

“A former athlete from Kensington, Maryland, celebrates originality within athletes through art while bringing people together through play with her company and hopes it’s enough to land a deal in the tank.”

Apart from round21, the upcoming episode will also introduce three more businesses — Magic Dates, Pawnix and Young King Hair Care. After four deals, the show will feature a Shark Tank update from season 12 episode 13.

New York entrepreneurs Andrea Megiatto and Michelle Jimenez will arrive to update their investor, Lori Greiner, on their snack-sized pizza treat called Pizza Cupcakes. The panel of sharks will include Greiner, Robert Herjavec, Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran, and Kevin O’Leary.

Shark Tank season 13 episode 17 is all set to air on Friday, March 25 on ABC at 8.00 pm Eastern Time (ET). Viewers can also watch the episode on Hulu.

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