By Inventors, For Inventors
Hi! We’re Kausi (“cow-see”) and Max ("max")—graduates of the Integrated Product Design Master’s program at UPenn. As product designers, we know the power of quick, hands-on prototyping for testing ideas and refining designs. We’ve seen how this process sparks problem-solving and creativity, especially for kids. However, the tools that make prototyping easy for adults are often too complex or unsafe for young makers, making materials like cardboard more frustrating than fun. We’re here to change that!
Our Startup Journey
A Great Idea
March 2022 — Kausi dreams up the ChompSaw during her masters program and starts prototyping (mostly with cardboard and duct tape) 📦
Kausi Gets a Co-Founder!
May 2022 — Max (& Milo his 1-year-old son) join Chompshop to help turn Kausi's prototype into something that actually works...
Big Time Re-Design
Oct. 2022 — Max & Kausi spend months getting parent, educator, and expert feedback in testing sessions
Launch on Kickstarter!
Sept. 2023 — We reach our goal of $50K in just 23 minutes and raise over $1 million on Kickstarter 🙏
Collecting Feedback
Oct. 2023 — We exhibited at the Bay Area Maker Faire, The Franklin Institute, and The Please Touch Museum
We Move to China!
Feb. 2024 — We wanted to be super involved in the manufacturing process so we moved to China for four months!
Shipping Begins!
Oct. 2024 — We finally start delivering ChompSaws to our earliest Kickstarter backers!
We Go On Shark Tank!
Nov. 2024 — We pitch Chompshop to the sharks and make a deal with Mark & Lori!
Kausi Raman
Co-Founder & CEO
Max Liechty
Co-Founder & CTO
Milo
CTO (Chief Testing Officer)
Collin Bardini
VP Engineering
Dylan Grant
Marketing Director
Lydia Ko
Creative Director
Maddy Wyner
Senior Product Designer