ChessUp Shark Tank Update: Net Worth, The Lori Deal, and ChessUp 2
ChessUp is a popular smart chessboard that first caught the public’s eye on Season 14, Episode 9 of ABC’s Shark Tank.
Created by a tech startup called Bryght Labs, the product mixes the classic game of chess with modern artificial intelligence. It was designed to make chess easy, fun, and highly engaging for players of all ages.
By removing the fear that often stops beginners from playing, ChessUp gives people a simple, high-tech way to learn chess strategy. But a lot has changed since the company first appeared on television in 2022.
Bryght Labs has grown far past its original Shark Tank pitch. The company has released a brand-new board called ChessUp 2, formed official partnerships with the biggest online chess websites, and raised millions in new funding.
This article explores exactly what happened to ChessUp after the cameras stopped rolling, why their famous Shark Tank deal actually fell apart, and how the product stacks up.
What Is ChessUp and How Does It Work?
At its core, ChessUp is an electronic chessboard with a built-in computer brain. It uses special touch-sense technology and artificial intelligence to act as a real-time chess coach.
When you touch a physical chess piece on the board, the squares around it instantly light up. These colored lights show you all the possible places you can move that piece.
The board ranks how good each move is by pulling data from Stockfish, which is one of the strongest chess computer programs in the world.
The lighting system is very easy to understand:
- Green: This is an excellent, top-tier move.
- Blue: This is a good, safe move.
- Yellow or Red: This is a bad move, a mistake, or a trap.
This quick feedback lets beginners learn winning strategies by actually playing the game, rather than reading boring books or watching long videos.
The board also makes the game fair for everyone. If a beginner plays against a chess master, they can turn the green-light help on for the beginner and turn all the lights off for the master. This makes family game nights highly competitive and fun for everyone.
Who Are the Founders of ChessUp?
ChessUp was invented by Jeff Wigh, Adam Roush, and Justin Farrell. The three men met in 2019 while working as engineers at Garmin, a giant tech company based in Olathe, Kansas.
Together, they have 48 years of experience building tech products and hold 20 different patents. In their past jobs, they built complex items like smartwatches, fitness trackers, and radar screens.
The idea for ChessUp came from a simple family moment. Founder Jeff Wigh was playing chess with his daughter. He noticed that most chess computer games only wanted to beat the player. They never tried to teach the player how to get better.
Wigh wanted to build a board that acted like a friendly coach. The three friends put their heads together, formed a company called Bryght Labs, and built five early versions of the board.
In 2021, they launched a Kickstarter campaign to see if people wanted to buy it. The response was massive. They raised over $1.7 million from people who loved the idea, giving them the cash they needed to start building the boards for real.
ChessUp Shark Tank Pitch: Season 14, Episode 9
In December 2022, Jeff Wigh and Adam Roush walked into the Shark Tank to pitch ChessUp to the famous panel of millionaire and billionaire investors.
They asked for $300,000 in exchange for 5% of their company. This meant they believed their company was worth $6 million.
The founders wowed the Sharks with their tech skills and their huge Kickstarter sales. They explained that it cost about $120 to make each board, and they sold them for $399. The Sharks loved the sleek design and how the lights worked.
However, there was a problem. The founders explained that they had to pay a chunk of their profits to early business partners through a royalty deal. This scared some of the investors.
Mark Cuban and Barbara Corcoran dropped out, saying the business was too young and the market was too small.
Kevin O’Leary, who loves chess, wanted to invest but said the royalty math was too messy for him.
That left Lori Greiner. She loved how the board helped kids learn. She offered them $300,000 for 10% of the company.
Wigh quickly shot back with a counteroffer: he would give her the 5% she wanted, plus a 3% royalty on every board sold until she made $450,000 back. Greiner thought about it for a second, then shouted, “I’ll take it!”.
| Shark | What They Offered | The Founders’ Counter Offer | The Final TV Agreement |
| Lori Greiner | $300,000 for 10% stake | $300,000 for 5% + 3% royalty | Accepted ($300k for 5% + royalty) |
| Kevin O’Leary | None | None | Dropped out |
| Mark Cuban | None | None | Dropped out |
| Barbara Corcoran | None | None | Dropped out |
Did ChessUp Actually Close the Deal on Shark Tank?
While millions of people watched the happy handshake on TV, the real business world is much different. The deal with Lori Greiner never actually closed.
In a 2024 interview with Chess.com, founder Jeff Wigh shared the real story. Several months pass between the day a Shark Tank pitch is filmed and the day it plays on television.
During those months, ChessUp grew faster than anyone expected. The company started making enough money to run on its own.
Wigh explained, “By the time it all aired and happened, the deal no longer made sense… we actually never did close the final deal.
ChessUp just grew on its own and turned out that that’s actually maybe the best thing that could happen to us”.
This was a very smart move. By walking away from Lori Greiner’s deal, the founders did not have to pay her a 3% fee on every sale. They kept that money and used it to invent an even better product.
What Happened to ChessUp After Shark Tank?
Being on TV was like pouring gasoline on a fire. The Shark Tank episode caused a huge spike in sales, and the original boards sold out very quickly. But the team did not relax. They listened to what their customers wanted and got back to work.
The biggest complaint about the first ChessUp board was that it forced players to use their smartphones. The board had to be connected to a phone via Bluetooth at all times. People play board games to get away from their screens, so this was a problem.
To fix this, Bryght Labs released ChessUp 2. This upgraded board has its own built-in Wi-Fi computer and a small color touchscreen right on the side of the board. You no longer need a phone to play.
The Massive Chess.com and Lichess Partnerships
The Wi-Fi upgrade allowed ChessUp to do something amazing. They formed official partnerships with Chess.com and Lichess, the two largest online chess websites in the world.
Now, you can turn on the ChessUp 2 board, log into your Chess.com account on the tiny screen, and play against real people around the world without ever looking at a computer.
When a player in another country moves a piece on their computer screen, the squares on your physical ChessUp 2 board light up to show you what they did. You then move their physical piece for them and make your own move.
This change turned ChessUp from a simple learning toy into a serious tool for chess fans. The numbers prove this was a great choice. The company has sold more than 50,000 units of the ChessUp 2.
ChessUp 1 vs. ChessUp 2: A Comparison
If you are looking to buy a smart board, it is important to know the differences between the old version and the new version.
| Feature | Original ChessUp (Gen 1) | ChessUp 2 (Gen 2) |
| Price | $299.00 | $349.99 (MSRP $399.99) |
| Internet Connection | Bluetooth (Needs a phone) | Built-in Wi-Fi (No phone needed) |
| Screen | None | Built-in Color Touchscreen |
| Online Play | Hard to set up via app | Easy, native Chess.com connection |
| Computer Brain | Runs on your phone | Stockfish built right into the board |
The second-generation board fixes all the major issues of the first model. It is faster, more reliable, and much easier to set up.
How Does ChessUp Compare to the Competition?
ChessUp is not the only smart board on the market. The biggest rival is a product called the Chessnut Evo.
The Chessnut Evo is a very different kind of machine. It has a massive 12.3-inch tablet screen attached to the side of a wooden board. It runs on the Android operating system and lets you load custom chess engines.
While the Evo is powerful, many players find it heavy and distracting. The large glowing screen defeats the purpose of playing a real board game. In contrast, ChessUp 2 is much lighter and highly portable.
The ChessUp 2 screen is very small and only used for setup, meaning you can focus entirely on the physical pieces during your game.
Furthermore, ChessUp users report that the light-up squares are much better for teaching kids than the Evo’s complex software.
| Smart Board | Best Feature | Biggest Weakness | Who Should Buy It? |
| ChessUp 2 | Light-up squares & built-in Wi-Fi | Pieces are plastic, not wood | Beginners, kids, and online players |
| Chessnut Evo | Giant screen & advanced computer | Heavy, expensive, distracting | Experts who want a screen |
| Square Off Pro | Rolls up for easy travel | Weak app connection | People who travel a lot |
The Software: ChessUp Academy Updates
A major reason ChessUp is still popular is the software. The company did not just build a board and forget about it. They built a whole learning system called ChessUp Academy.
This is an app that comes with a massive library of interactive chess lessons. You read the lesson on the app, and the board lights up to show you exactly how the moves work in real life.
Bryght Labs also sends updates directly to the board over Wi-Fi. They released a huge update called Firmware 5.0. This update added several amazing features:
- Five User Profiles: Before, the board only remembered one person. Now, a family of five can share a single board. Everyone gets their own profile to track their wins, losses, and rating.
- The Circus Bots: ChessUp added the newest computer opponents from Chess.com, known as “The Circus” bots. You can play against these funny computer characters right on the board.
- Checkers Mode: The new update added a rule for forced jumps, making the board work perfectly for a game of checkers.
By constantly updating the board’s software, Bryght Labs keeps the product fresh and exciting for its users.
ChessUp Net Worth and Current Financials
When they were on Shark Tank, the founders said their company was worth $6 million. As of today, the company’s net worth is much higher.
Bryght Labs did not need TV investors because they found real success in the venture capital market.
According to PitchBook, a company that tracks business money, Bryght Labs raised $555,000 in a Seed funding round in April 2025. Even more impressive, the company is set to close a massive $2 million funding round.
| Funding Event | Date | Amount Raised | Status |
| Kickstarter | Early 2021 | $1.7 Million | Completed |
| Indiegogo | Late 2021 | $1.9 Million | Completed |
| Seed Round 1 | April 2025 | $555,000 | Completed |
| Seed Round 2 | June 2026 | $2.0 Million | Upcoming |
When you add up the $2 million in new funding, the revenue from selling 50,000 ChessUp 2 boards, and the steady income from their software, it is clear that Bryght Labs has built a highly valuable business. Financial experts believe the company is now worth far more than the $6 million Shark Tank estimate.
Is ChessUp Still in Business?
Yes, ChessUp is doing fantastic. The company is still headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas. They have a full team of engineers, customer support workers, and shipping experts who send boards all over the world.
But Bryght Labs does not want to stop at chess. The founders view their company as an “innovation lab.” The technology they invented, making a physical board light up to teach you how to play, can be used for many other things.
The company is currently looking at the music industry. They want to create “smart instruments” that work just like ChessUp.
Imagine a piano keyboard that lights up to show you exactly where to put your fingers, or a guitar that tracks your hands. The goal is to use smart tech to make learning any hard skill fast and fun.
Final Thoughts: A True Success Story
ChessUp is one of the brightest success stories to come out of Shark Tank, even though the TV deal fell apart. By focusing on what their users wanted, dumping the annoying Bluetooth setup, and adding Wi-Fi, they created the perfect modern chessboard.
Today, ChessUp 2 bridges the gap between old-school board games and modern internet gaming. Whether you are a parent trying to teach your child the rules, or an expert looking to play online matches without staring at a screen, ChessUp has proven it is a company built to last.
