Cup Board Pro Update: The $15 Million Shark Tank Legacy

When Christian, Keira, and Kaley Young stepped onto the Shark Tank stage in Season 10, they delivered a pitch that brought the entire room to tears.

They were there to present the Cup Board Pro, a clever cutting board with an attached cup to catch food scraps. The product was invented by their late father, Keith Young.

What happened next became one of the most heartwarming moments in reality television history. All five Sharks teamed up to invest in the company and promised to donate their profits to charity.

Fast forward to today, and the Cup Board Pro is a massive success. The company boasts an estimated net worth of $15 million and has a highly successful retail deal with Williams Sonoma. The product is now a staple in American kitchens.

If you are wondering what happened to the Young siblings after the cameras stopped rolling, this complete update covers their inspiring family story, their charitable donations, and an honest review of the newest Cup Board Pro models.

The Inspiring Story of Keith Young

The story of the Cup Board Pro starts with Keith Young. Keith was a New York City firefighter with the FDNY, stationed in Brooklyn.

He was also a very talented chef. He used his cooking skills to feed his fellow firefighters and even published a cookbook called Cooking with the Firehouse Chef in 2003.

Keith was a devoted family man. He wanted to enjoy more time with his wife, Beth, and their three kids. He hated spending hours cleaning up messy kitchen counters after cooking big meals.

In 2010, he had an idea. He took plastic cutting boards and cut into them to create his own prototype. He designed a cutting board with a detachable cup that hung off the edge of the counter. This allowed him to easily slide food scraps or chopped vegetables right into the cup.

Just as Keith was getting ready to manufacture the Cup Board Pro, tragedy struck. His wife, Beth, was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer in 2011. Keith put his business on hold to care for her. Sadly, Beth passed away in August 2012 at the age of 47.

Keith was heartbroken but stayed strong for his children. His kids pushed him to keep cooking, and he eventually competed on the Food Network show Chopped. He won the competition twice. He also beat celebrity chef Bobby Flay on the show Throwdown with Bobby Flay.

Keith finally returned to working on the Cup Board Pro. In 2015, he received his first shipment of cutting boards. But right around that same time, he received terrible news.

Keith was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma, a rare cancer caused by his time working at Ground Zero during the 9/11 cleanup efforts. He passed away in March 2018.

Determined to make their dad’s dream come true, Christian, Keira, and Kaley took over the business. Just three months after his death, they filmed their pitch for Shark Tank.

The Unforgettable Shark Tank Pitch of Cup Board Pro

During Season 10, Episode 3, the Young siblings asked the Sharks for a $100,000 investment in exchange for a 10% stake in their company. This meant they valued the Cup Board Pro business at $1 million.

They started their pitch by playing a video of their dad demonstrating the cutting board. Hearing his booming, happy voice echo through the studio was an incredibly emotional moment.

The Sharks loved the product. The kids explained the business numbers clearly. It cost just under $13 to make one unit, and they sold it online for $40. Before coming on the show, they had sold 300 units and had 2,000 boards sitting in inventory.

The Sharks had some worries about how the three young siblings would handle manufacturing and shipping large orders.

However, the investors were deeply moved by the family’s strength. Daymond John said everybody on the set was in tears, calling it the most emotional pitch he had ever seen.

In a very rare move, all five Sharks decided to work together. Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, Daymond John, Kevin O’Leary, and guest Shark Matt Higgins offered a combined deal. They offered the kids $100,000 for 20% of the company, meaning each Shark put in $20,000.

The Sharks also made a special promise. They pledged to donate every single dollar of their profits from the business to a charity that helps firefighters and first responders who got sick after 9/11. The Youngs happily accepted the deal.

The Shark Tank Effect and Williams Sonoma

When the episode aired in October 2018, the public reaction was massive. The family’s website completely crashed because so many people were trying to buy the board.

The original 2,000 units sold out within minutes. Over 130,000 people visited the site trying to place an order. Within just 18 hours, the company had 26,000 backorders, which added up to over $1 million in sales.

The siblings quickly realized they could not make and ship the boards fast enough on their own. The Sharks stepped in to help. They connected the Young family with the famous kitchen retailer Williams Sonoma.

Williams Sonoma agreed to take over the manufacturing, licensing, and distribution of the Cup Board Pro.

Redesigning the Cup Board Pro

The original Cup Board Pro was made of bamboo. Bamboo is eco-friendly, but it can warp or hold onto bacteria if you do not oil it regularly.

Williams Sonoma wanted to make the board even better and more durable. They partnered with Epicurean, a cutting board manufacturer in Wisconsin known for making top-quality kitchen tools.

Together, they changed the material from bamboo to a sustainably sourced paper composite called Richlite. This new material brought huge improvements to the board.

The current models are heat-resistant up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, fight off bacteria, and are completely safe to put in the dishwasher.

Even with these upgrades, they kept all of Keith Young’s original design features. The board still has the juice groove around the edge to catch messy liquids, and it still features a special symbol burned into the wood that honors fallen 9/11 firefighters.

Product Review: Is the Cup Board Pro Worth It?

Today, the Cup Board Pro remains one of the best-selling items at Williams Sonoma. It gets great reviews from home cooks who use it every day.

Over the years, the company has released new versions of the board to fit different kitchen sizes and budgets.

All of the current models come with the famous detachable cup. This cup is made of FDA-approved, BPA-free plastic and rubber (PP and TPE). The cup easily slides onto the edge of the board, catches all your food scraps, and then collapses flat so you can store it in a drawer. T

he boards also have nonslip silicone feet to keep them from sliding around on the counter while you chop.

The Cup Board Pro Products Lineup

Here is a breakdown of the current models available exclusively at Williams Sonoma:

Note: Pricing is based on 2026 Williams Sonoma retail data. There are no extra delivery surcharges for these items.

How It Compares to the Competition

When you compare the Cup Board Pro to other popular cutting boards, it offers a great mix of quality and convenience.

Many professional chefs love heavy wooden blocks, like the famous John Boos maple cutting boards. These boards look beautiful but usually cost a lot more, ranging from $117 to $189. They are also heavy and require a lot of work to maintain, like rubbing them down with beeswax cream.

On the other end of the market, you can buy cheap, flexible plastic cutting mats from brands like OXO or Cooler Kitchen for about $9 to $30. While these are cheap and easy to store, they often slide around on the counter and do not have a built-in way to manage your food scraps.

The Cup Board Pro sits right in the middle. It gives you the tough, knife-friendly surface of a high-end board, but the attached cup saves you a huge amount of time during clean-up.

Where Are the Young Siblings Today?

One of the biggest reasons people search for the Cup Board Pro is because they want to know how the Young family is doing. The success of the business has completely changed their lives.

During an update on Shark Tank Season 14, guest Shark Matt Higgins said the siblings would never have to work for anybody else again because of the money they made.

The three kids used some of their profits to buy a four-bedroom home so they could all live together. Today, Christian is working as a veterinary assistant, following his love for animals.

Keira went off to her dream college to study business, using the skills she learned from running a real company. Kaley started her own interior design business and recently got married.

They still help oversee the brand to make sure the product always matches their dad’s original vision.

Charitable Impact: Honoring 9/11 Heroes

The promise made on the Shark Tank stage has been kept. The Sharks and the Young family have used their success to give back to the heroes of New York City.

In early 2019, the siblings gave a $41,000 donation to the FDNY Foundation. Later on, they presented another $10,000 check, and Sharks Matt Higgins and Lori Greiner matched that amount. In total, the business has donated over $100,000.

This money goes directly to charities that help first responders who got sick or injured during the September 11 attacks. This amazing act of charity honors Keith Young’s legacy as a true hero.

Cup Board Pro Net Worth and Current Financial Status

The financial growth of the Cup Board Pro is one of the best success stories in Shark Tank history. When the Young siblings pitched the business, the Sharks valued the company at $500,000.

As of today, the net worth of the Cup Board Pro brand is estimated to be over $15 million. This incredible value comes from their massive sales. The company has brought in over $7 million in lifetime sales.

Because they partnered with Williams Sonoma, the company no longer struggles to keep the cutting boards in stock. The board is sold across 600 Williams Sonoma retail stores in the United States and on their website.

Fans of the family can also buy Keith’s original cookbook, Cooking with the Firehouse Chef, to try out his famous recipes at home.

The Final Verdict

The Cup Board Pro is much more than just a kitchen tool. It is a story about family, love, and hard work. Keith Young just wanted to create something that helped families spend less time cleaning up messes and more time enjoying meals together.

Thanks to his children and the support of the Shark Tank investors, his dream came true. The latest models are built with the best materials, handle high heat, and make cooking much easier.

Whether you are buying it as a gift or to use in your own home, the Cup Board Pro is an incredibly helpful product that truly earns its spot in the kitchen.