Whatever Happened To Cup Board Pro After Shark Tank?
"Shark Tank" pitches can vary drastically in tone, with entrepreneurs opting for either cocksure or humble approaches in an effort to sell their products to the masses. In Season 10, Episode 3, "Shark Tank" fans witnessed perhaps the most tear-jerking pitch to date.
For Cup Board Pro, the trip to "Shark Tank" was a long time coming. Former New York City firefighter Keith Young was inspired by his love of food, having served as a cook in his firehouse. The firefighter was also an author and a two-time "Chopped" champion. Young lost his wife to cancer in 2012 and understood the stress of keeping his family fed while maintaining minimal mess and optimal organization. In 2010, he began developing the Cup Board Pro, a cutting board with a built-in tray to collect scraps, juices, and prepped ingredients.
Young received his first prototypes for Cup Board Pro in 2015, but shortly after, he was diagnosed with a rare sarcoma from his time spent working on a Ground Zero clean-up crew. He succumbed to the illness in 2018. Three months later, his children, Kaley, Christian, and Keira — then 24, 20, and 15 — fulfilled his dream by appearing on "Shark Tank" in his stead, where they sought $100,000 for 10% equity in Cup Board Pro.
The sharks ultimately agreed on a joint deal, with all five of them investing $20,000 in exchange for 20% of the company, with all of their profits going to charities supporting 9/11 first responders.
Cup Board Pro is a charitable company
Minutes after the episode aired, the Young family sold 2,000 units of their cutting boards, which at the time they were selling for $40 each. Thanks to the sharks' generous contributions, Cup Board Pro has expanded into a professional enterprise — a far cry from its humble roots being packaged in the Young family's living room.
When the Young family relayed their story to the "Shark Tank" sharks, there wasn't a dry eye in the house, and Daymond John was particularly emotional during the pitch. "It took everything in me not to walk off the set because my emotions ran so crazy because I was there and lost many friends from 9/11," he later tweeted.
John's business connections came in handy when it came time to put Cup Board Pro in stores; now the cutting boards have an exclusive deal with Williams Sonoma, which handles the product's manufacturing and shipping across 600 stores and online. It also retails Keith Young's cookbook.
A Season 14 episode of "Shark Tank" checked in on Cup Board Pro and revealed that the company is doing well. Indeed, the cutting board is listed on Williams Sonoma as a bestseller, even though the price now starts at $84.95 (a synthetic polyethylene model is available for $54.95).
The family and the sharks also continue to work extensively with the FDNY Foundation. In 2022, the Youngs donated $10,000 to the foundation, with sharks Lori Greiner and Mark Higgins each matching the donation.