November 15, 2024
Christopher Willard/Disney
Max Liechty and Kausi Raman can be seen pitching their kid-safe cardboard cutter on ABC's 'Shark Tank' at 8 p.m. Friday.
Philly entrepreneurs who created a kid-safe saw for cardboard will cut their teeth on tonight's episode of "Shark Tank."
University of Pennsylvania graduates Kausi Raman and Max Liechty went on the show seeking a $250,000 investment in exchange for 5% of their company, ChompShop. Their product, the ChompSaw, looks like a mini table saw but works like a high-powered hole punch so children don't run the risk of injuring themselves on a sharp blade. The episode airs at 8 p.m. Friday on ABC.
On "Shark Tank," entrepreneurs can ask for investments from business tycoons Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran, Kevin O'Leary and Lori Greiner, in exchange for equity or a portion of sales. The investors can take the deal, strike a new one or pass completely. Rashaun Williams, a limited partner of the Atlanta Falcons, will be a guest judge on tonight's episode.
ChompShop saws are available online for $230. Formerly known as InvenTABLE, the company initially launched on online fundraising platform Kickstarter and was able to secure $1.18 million in a month's time from supporters. Already, the company has over 100,000 followers on both Instagram and TikTok.
Raman initially got the idea for the company in 2022, when she began using power tools for the first time in her life. She created the first prototype while she was a graduate student at Penn studying product design. She brought on Liechty, the company's chief technology officer, to bring the design to life.
"Growing up, I always loved making things, but I wasn’t exposed to real tools until my 20s," Raman said in a statement. "Being able to build anything, or at least feel confident in my ability to learn, was so empowering. I wanted to create a toy that encourages kids — especially young girls — to get hands-on with projects from an early age, so I made one."
