ChessUp is a smart chess board that can analyze your game and help you make the right moves with its built-in instructional system. Founders Jeff Wigh, Adam Roush, and Justin Farrell pitched their innovative product on season 14 of Shark Tank and got a deal with Lori Greiner. As of 2024, ChessUp is worth an estimated $3 million.
The Founders
The three entrepreneurs behind the product are from Olathe, Kansas. Jeff Wigh has an MBA from MIT and has worked in the product development teams at Allegro Microsystems, Herzog, and Garmin.
Adam Roush has a BA and BFA in industrial and product design from the University of Kansas. After graduating, he was a product architect and eventually creative lead.
Justin Farrell has a bachelor’s degree in electronics engineering from DeVry University. Not much is known about his early career, but he specializes in web development.
Founding ChessUp
The guys met at work, they got along well because they loved playing chess and everything related to STEM. When it was time for Jeff to teach his daughter about chess, he and his buddies invented ChessUp.
It is a smart chess board that uses AI features built on Stockfish which is considered the world’s strongest chess AI. When you touch a piece, it lights up the best spots for a move.
The device tracks your moves and gives instructions on how to improve your game. Chessup was officially launched in 2019 under Bryght Labs, a product development company.
Getting on Shark Tank
605 million adults play chess regularly and ChessUp is one of the few inventions that could help attract more players to the game. But to get it out there, the founders needed to raise money. In March 2021, they launched a Kickstarter campaign and reached 100% of their funding goal in 25 minutes!
By late 2022, the campaign had raised $1.7 million from 5,657 backers, making it the most funded chess project on the platform. Apart from capital, the founders need exposure to help them break into the market.
After Shark Tank
The Kansas trio entered the Tank, hoping to give their invention the justice it deserves. Their episode aired in December 2022 and the product got a lot of love from viewers. The company has finished sending out orders to backers on Kickstarter.
The $300,000 deal with Lori has apparently closed as reported by Pitchbook.com and they raised money from Missouri Technology Corporation.
The smart chess board is available to buy on Amazon and their website, PlayChessUp.com. The product retails for $349 and comes with an app. Currently, it’s out of stock on Amazon. Competitors include the likes of Chesscademy, GoChess and Chesster.
On Amazon, ChessUp has an average rating of 4.1 stars from six reviews. On Kickstarter, the majority of reviews from backers have been mostly positive with some users praising the quality of materials. Chessup is thriving and is worth an estimated $3 million. According to LinkedIn, the business has seven employees.
