Suvechha Sarkar
Searching for educational toys that balance fun, safety, and learning has become a trend, with parents seeking ways to engage their kids in screen-free activities. While many toys promise enrichment, few deliver the features of developing real-world skills. This is where Chomp Shop breaks the mold with its innovative and kid-safe power tool, allowing them to cut cardboard and create detailed 3-D models safely. Chomp Shop’s appearance on season 16, episode 5 on ABC’s ‘Shark Tank’ allowed the founders to bring their product to light and ultimately secure a deal with Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner to expand their impact in early-age STEM education.
Chomp Shop: Who Are They and What Do They Do?
Before Chomp Shop came into the picture, Kausi Raman completed her Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Design from the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) and a Master’s degree in Integrated Product Design from the University of Pennsylvania (Penn). She stepped into her career as a Sales Associate at Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics in December 2015, where she served until September 2016. While studying at UC Davis, Kausi embraced multiple roles, such as the Vice President at P.E.A.C.E., a 2017 Blum Center Fellow, Research Assistant, Outreach Coordinator, and Director of Design for the UC Davis Undergraduate Chapter between January 2017 and September 2018. She became a Product Designer at RoundED Learning in June 2020 before moving on in August 2021.
Kausi had been the Founder and Executive Director of the non-profit organization English Kadhavu from June 2015 to January 2022. At Penn, she took on the role of a Program Coordinator – Executive Program for Social Innovation Design in August 2021 and became a Teaching Assistant the following January. She served in that role till May 2023. Simultaneously, Kausi worked at Venture Lab as a Studio Technician and later became the Special Projects and CNC operations lead. She held the position there till July 2023. In June 2022, she joined the Wharton School as a Teaching Assistant. She was promoted to Program Instructor for the Wharton Global Youth Program at their Product Design Academy and moved on in July 2023.
Kausi then became a Designer in Residence at Penn Engineering for six months. During her Master’s program in March 2022, she came across the idea of creating ChompSaw and began making a rough prototype. She reached out to Max, her peer from the same program and an engineer, to turn her prototype into an actual product. In April, she became the Co-founder and CEO of Chomp Shop, while Max joined as the Co-founder and CTO in May 2022. After months of feedback and testing sessions, they succeeded in creating ChompSaw. Max earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in April 2020 from Brigham Young University (BYU) and a Master’s in Integrated Product Design from Penn in May 2022.
In August 2015, Max began working as a Copy Center Attendant at BYU Print and Mail and served until August 2016. Over the years, Max worked as a CDL driver, an Engineering Intern, and a Surveyor before joining as a Research Assistant at BYU in May 2018. While working there, he also served as a Mechanical Engineering Intern at L3Harris Technologies from May to August 2019. Later on, Max stepped into the role of a Teaching Assistant at BYU, a position he held until August 2020. Two months later, he became a research assistant at Penn and moved on in April 2021. After his 8-month Hardware Engineering Internship at Allevi by 3D Systems, Max became a part-time Studio Technician at Venture Lab in January 2021 and left in August 2022.
Max then joined as a part-time Lecturer in July 2023 and later became a Lab Engineer at Penn. As of writing, he is serving as a part-time Lecturer at the institution, alongside his roles at Chomp Shop. The brand’s main product, ChompSaw, brings more accuracy and versatility to cardboard creations of children aged between 8 and 12 years. The product has a 100-120 V AC power supply stored under the lid of the machine. It is accompanied by a Hole Punch and a Scoring Tool to create folds and pack down the cardboard for cutting. Additionally, their circle guide helps cut smooth and even circles with cardboard. The kids can easily use ChompSaw to cut through cardboard and build incredible 3-D models or prototypes.
Chomp Shop: Where Are They Today?
Following the launch of Chomp Shop, they quickly took the market by storm. In September 2023, the brand successfully launched the product on Kickstarter and raised over $1 million from 5,045 backers. They hosted an exhibition at the Bay Area Maker Faire, the Please Touch Museum, and the Franklin Institute to gather feedback. Shortly after, in February 2024, the founders moved to China for four months to be involved in the product’s manufacturing process. The following October, the brand began delivering the product to its earliest backers during the Kickstarter. Currently, the brand sells one product alongside a bundle and several other add-ons and accessories. Their star product is the ChompSaw with Hole Punch & Scoring Tool, available at just $249.
The Maker Bundle, consisting of the ChompSaw, Table Accessories, Inventor’s Workbook, Hole Punch, and Scoring Tool, is priced at $299. Besides this, customers can also purchase the accessories separately. While the Cardboard Scoring Tool is available for just $4, the Starter Pack: Digital Project, 3D Print File: Cardboard Nuts & Bolts, and Puppet Head: Digital Project are priced at $5. Chomp Shop’s Project Pattern Pack: Toys & Games can be purchased for $20. Furthermore, the Inventor’s Workbook and Table Accessories Set, containing a Fence, Circle Tool, and Angle Guide, can be bought individually at $30. Customers can purchase any of these products directly from their website. In November 2024, Chomp Shop proudly announced on their social media that all of their pre-orders had finally been shipped.
In January 2025, Chomp Shop declared that they were going to launch a monthly subscription for their consumer to send all sorts of fun, educational projects straight to their doors due to the multiple requests for more cardboard projects. The following month, they entered into a paid partnership with Sam Wilde, a theatre and puppet designer. Chomp Shop attended the first New York Toy Fair in March 2025, followed by their limited release of Artisanal Cardboard. It can be used exclusively with the ChompSaw. Furthermore, the brand conducted a giveaway in April, where the winner received the Maker Bundle. The same month, they achieved another significant milestone by being featured as one of the top choices for spring and summer toys by the Toy Insider.
In May 2025, Chomp Shop announced its celebration of Teacher Appreciation Day. During this time, for every ChompSaw or Maker Bundle sold, the brand would give a ChompSaw to a classroom in need. There were over 1000 applications from teachers to receive the donation. They ultimately donated 138 of these products to classrooms, bringing hands-on STEM learning to multiple classrooms. The same month, their new pattern design, in collaboration with Sam Wilde, led to the launch of a new add-on of Puppet Head: Digital Project, which became available for purchase. As of writing, a stream of good reviews has continued pouring in for the Chomp Shop’s products, further solidifying their position in the market.
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