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 and got a deal with Lori Greiner. After Shark Tank, ChessUp is worth an estimated $3 million.
The Founders
The three entrepreneurs hail 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 creative lead. Justin Farrell has a bachelor’s degree in electronics engineering from DeVry University.
Founding ChessUp
The guys met at work, they got along well through their love of 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.
What Changed Since Shark Tank
The Kansas trio entered the Tank, hoping to give their invention the justice it deserves. Their episode aired in December 2022, ChessUp experienced a sales spike and sold out from the exposure. The company has finished sending out orders to backers on Kickstarter.
Although ChessUp accepted a $300,000 on-air offer from Lori Greiner, the deal did not close after due diligence. In an interview with chess.com, Jeff Wigh revealed “by the time it all aired and happened, the deal no longer made sense”. The growth and sales traction meant the royalty-based deal no longer aligned with the company’s direction.
Over one million games have been played on ChessUp, with more than 50,000 users and around 100 active players online at any given time.
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. Since the show, ChessUp has continued updating its companion app and expanding accessories for the board. Competitors include the likes of Chesscademy, GoChess and Chesster.
On Amazon, ChessUp has an average rating of 4.5 stars from 112 reviews. On Kickstarter, the majority of reviews from backers have been mostly positive with some users praising the quality of materials. During filming, revenue was projected to be $1.4 million for 2024 and should be making significantly more than this in 2025. Chessup is thriving and is worth an estimated $3 million. According to LinkedIn, the business has seven employees.
