By delivering one of the most emotional pitches on Shark Tank, sibling entrepreneurs Keira, Kaley, and Christian Young secured a deal with all five investors on the show. Their product Cup Board Pro, is a cutting board with a tray to easily collect food scraps and juices. As of 2024, Cup Board Pro is worth an estimated $15 million.
Founders’ Story
Although Keira, Kaley and Christian pitched the business on Shark Tank, their late father, Keith Young, invented Cup Board Pro. He was a firefighter from New York City and dreamed of being on Shark Tank.
Keith created the tool in 2010 with the goal of reducing the time needed to clean up messes left behind after cooking. However, he had to cancel production after one year because his wife, Beth, was hospitalized due to breast cancer.
In 2012, Beth passed away with her husband right by her side. Later that year, Keith joined the Food Network cooking competition Chopped and ended up becoming a two-time champion on the show.
Taking Over Their Father’s Idea
With the success he gained on Chopped, Keith was confident he could officially make his cutting board idea come to life. Unfortunately, in 2015, he was diagnosed with a rare cancer (synovial sarcoma), reportedly caused by cleaning up the World Trade Center site as a firefighter.
In 2018, he sadly passed away and left the three children to fend for themselves. Keira, Kaley, and Christian discovered their father’s inventory had about 2,000 cutting boards.
They set up an online store and advertised the product through social media. In just three weeks, they sold about 300 units. The kids decided they needed help from real experts and applied for Shark Tank.
An Emotional Pitch on Shark Tank
In 2019, the Young family entered the Tank season 10, seeking $100,000 for a 10% equity stake. This was a fair proposal, but it was the story behind it that touched the Sharks’ hearts.
The background of the product’s original creator, Keith Young, made for an impactful pitch to the investors. Apart from that, they also saw that the cutting boards had a reasonable profit margin.
After asking for a moment to themselves, all the five Sharks – Lori, Mark, Daymond, Kevin, and guest investor Matt Higgins proposed to split $100,000 for 20%. They also promised that all profits would go to a charity for sick firefighters.
Cup Board Pro’s Growth After Shark Tank
After their Shark Tank episode aired, the company’s entire stock sold out in minutes. Within 18 hours, they sold 26,000 units and did over $1 million in sales. The business received around 100,000 emails from customers looking to buy their cutting boards.
It took them months before the business was able to get orders until control. The family also set up a Go Fund Me page and raised $44,576 for the FDNY Foundation. After this, the Sharks linked up the business with Williams-Sonoma, Inc., which handled further manufacturing and advertising pursuits.
Williams-Sonoma is a leading brand in kitchenware, and Cup Board Pro became their best-selling item. Its latest annual revenue report is $3 million. With this, the company is valued at $15 million.
