March 23, 2026
Don’t Sweat It, Black Business Student Creates ‘Washletics’ Detergent For Activewear Odors
A Black business student at Duke University decided to address a "boring" laundry problem with a meaningful solution.
For those with smelly gym clothes, one Black business student has launched a game-changing detergent with you in mind.
As a first-year MBA student at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, Adrian Abrams had plans to bring his own ideas to the startup world. The 29-year-old pupil recently launched Washletics, a detergent with clean ingredients that removes deep sweat odors from activewear.
The idea came from his creation of a personalized detergent. However, how exactly he would grow the business remained a mystery.
He returned to school for another chance at his entrepreneurial ambitions, applying coursework to his own business strategy. As Washletics came to fruition, classmates became his startup’s first customers.
His plan for the sweat-focused product secured Abrams a top prize at the Duke Venture Capital (DVG) Pitch Competition this semester. Now, he plans to scale operations to take Washletics to washing machines nationwide.
“Adrian, it just’ works,” he told the Duke Fuqua blog about his classmates’ reaction.
How it works, however, is by skipping the extra steps of scent beads and other deodorizers. Instead, Washletics features an odor-targeting enzyme blend to remove odors from sweat-heavy items. Noting that most detergents leave behind the oil and bacteria produced by sweat on clothes, these enzymes eliminate the unwanted residue, resulting in truly fresh activewear for the next workout session.
Washletics also bypasses the heavy dyes used in many name-brand detergents, creating an all-natural solution to an issue that plagues athletes and active adults. With his mission to revolutionize clothing care and address lingering smells, Abrams is also focused on tailoring his project for a technological future.
“There’s a lot of momentum around Washletics right now, but what excites me most is the bigger picture,” he exclusively tells BLACK ENTERPRISE. “I want to be part of a generation of Black founders that uses emerging technologies like AI to rethink and innovate in categories that have been overlooked for decades. Some of the biggest opportunities aren’t in flashy products. They’re in everyday essentials that haven’t meaningfully evolved. My goal is to build in that space and show what’s possible when you apply new tools to ‘boring’ problems.”
Abrams plans to use his upcoming degree to shape Washletics’ vision, using the knowledge he gains to further his business and expand his customer base. As he sets out to dominate household shelves, the detergent’s foundational formula is now available for pre-order.