A fireman died before his product made it to 'Shark Tank'. His kids brought it to life with $100,000 deal.
The investors on "Shark Tank" are known as sharks for their sharp comments and criticism that could tear through founders. But, a trio of young entrepreneurs brought out their emotional side with a pitch that left the celebrity investors on Shark Tank in tears. Siblings Christian, Keira, and Kaley Young shared a story of strength, courage, and resilience while introducing their dad's invention, the "Cup Board Pro." They told the 'sharks' that their dad, Keith Young, who served as a firefighter, wanted to appear on the show himself, but he passed away before that could happen. Young succumbed to synovial sarcoma, a cancer that he got while cleaning up the rubble after 9/11. Pushing through the loss, the three kids made history on the show by securing a five-shark deal, just three months after he passed away.
Emotionally Charged Episode
The Young siblings introduced themselves on the 2018 episode of "Shark Tank" seeking a $100,000 investment in exchange for a 10% stake in their business. They talked about how their dad wanted to appear on the show and played a video of him demonstrating the Cup Board Pro.
The siblings told the Sharks that their dad was also a firehouse chef and had created the Cup Board Pro in 2010. Keith's design included a detachable tray slotted in the groove of the cutting board to serve as a collecting tool for the extra juices and scraps of vegetables.
Keith's progress with the product came to a halt after his wife, Beth King, was diagnosed with cancer. After her death, the kids encouraged Keith to compete on Food Network's show "Chopped," and he became a two-time champion. He then wrote a cookbook, "Cooking With the Firehouse Chef", which encouraged him to get back to work on his invention.
However, after making an audition video for Shark Tank and receiving his order of 2000 boards, Keith's health deteriorated and he passed away. Determined to make their dad's dream come true, the three siblings walked into the 'Tank' hoping to bag a deal. After their touching pitch, the Sharks had difficulty containing their emotions, and both Lori Greiner and Daymond John were visibly crying.
A Five-Shark Deal
The Sharks were impressed with the board's quality and were stunned to learn that the siblings had sold 300 of the $40 cutting boards in just three weeks. Finally, John asked them to step out of the room, to discuss a deal privately. The Sharks seemed confident about the product's potential and the power of the siblings' story. After calling them back, Mark Cuban went on to make an offer which was a historic five Shark deal. All five of the investors offered to split the $100,000 investment for 20% of the company. Not just that, the Sharks promised to pay their profits forward to any charity that Keith supported to help 9/11 firefighters who were suffering from health issues. The three young entrepreneurs immediately accepted the deal in a blink of an eye.
What Happened to Cup Board Pro After Shark Tank?
The siblings ended up selling each of their Cup Board Pros as soon as the episode was aired. "All of our inventory was sold out as our episode was still airing on the East Coast — by the time our episode aired in California, we were already sold out," Kaley told Good Morning America in an interview.
Another update was shared in season 10 of "Shark Tank," revealing that the siblings had secured a deal with Williams-Sonoma through the Sharks to license, manufacture, and distribute their product. They even set up a GoFundMe page with a goal of raising $25,000 to help other firefighters like their father. They collected more than $40,000, which was donated to the FDNY Foundation, as per Mashed.
