Shark Tank Australia’s Most Viral Entrepreneur: From Construction Site to Cap Table with Clutch Glue’s Annabel Hay

This week, Ashley is in Sydney with Annabel Hay, founder and CEO of CLUTCH Glue and one of Shark Tank Australia’s most talked about contestants. Not yet 30 and already having pivoted from construction management to building a global consumer brand, Annabel breaks down what happens after virality, from manufacturing and logistics to retail expansion, fundraising strategy, and the operational systems required to scale.

CLUTCH Glue started with a simple problem. A night out, failing fashion tape, and one thought: “It would be so much easier if I could just glue myself into my clothes.” Annabel built an alternative to body tape that lets you glue, rather than tape, clothes to your body.

Four years of R&D later, CLUTCH is patented, sweat resistant, water soluble, hypoallergenic, non toxic, and designed to wash off when you are done.

Virality came fast. A 10 second TikTok hit 9M views overnight and sold out the first 5,000 units. Then the real work began, scaling manufacturing, tightening operations, and turning attention into a repeatable business.

Shark Tank was strategy, not luck. Annabel spent six months and more than 100 hours preparing, then landed the strap moment that made the product instantly click on camera. The clip later became one of the show’s most viral moments and introduced CLUTCH to a global audience.

Retail came later. DTC first for margin and data, then founder led outreach to get ranged. CLUTCH hit Priceline shelves and became the number one best selling product within a week.