Justin Huang hopes to catch a Shark with Cup-a-Bug, his contraption for safely catching insects and spiders, in Shark Tank episode 1516. Justin, who is an engineer and entrepreneur, has sold products online before with his business called Solid Factory which primarily sells accessories for board game players. Cup-a-Bug is a new foray born out of Justin’s fear of bugs as a child. Whille he’s scared of them, he doesn’t neccessarily want to kill them, so he sought a solution.
Cup-a-Bug is basically an advanced version of the cup and paper technique for catching bugs. If you ever put a cup on a bug and slid a piece of paper under it to catch the bug, you know what I mean. Justin has his cup at the end of a pole – so you don’t have to get too close. Once the bug is trapped, simply pull on a lever which slides a piece of plastic under the cup and traps the bug. You can then release it safely outside. It’s designed to work in corners too.
He got things started with a successful Kickstarter campaign that raised $28,883 back in March, 2022. The last products from the campaign shipped in September of the same year. Now, you can buy one from the company website or Amazon for $40. Justin llikely wants a Shark’s cash for inventory.
Company Information
Video
Posts about Cup-a-Bug on Shark Tank Blog
Cup a Bug: The Ultimate Bug-Catching Companion
Cup-a-Bug Shark Tank Recap
Justin enters the Shark Tank seeking $50,000 for 10% of his company. Imagine you’re hosting a dinner party and right as you’re about to serve the food, an unexpected guest arrives. He asks the Sharks to lift their plate covers and dig in. When they lift them, there are rubber bugs underneath which startles the Sharks. Mr. Wonderful may be all about crushing cockroaches, but what about those of us that don’t want to take a life? That’s where Cup-a-Bug comes in.
He’s made it more convenient to catch a bug than to kill it. Justin begins fumbling with his pitch. The Sharks encourage him. Using it is super simple: just place the cup over the bug and pull the handle back. This closes the lid and now your bug is ready to be released back into nature or on your neighbor’s doorstep. It features a long arm and a tilt mechanism allowing you to catch bugs from floor to ceiling. There’s even a brush for getting bugs out of corners. Justin gets flustered again and says he’s nervous, but he carries on. Cup-a-Bug is the hero we’ve all been waiting for. Justin asks the Sharks: “who’s ready to see what all the buzz is about and invest in Cup-a-Bug.”
Q&A
Mark says he’s “the bug guy” in his household. His wife and kids won’t go anywhere near a bug and are always yelling for dad when they see one. Each unit sells for $40 including shipping and they cost $10 landed plus $7 for shipping. He tells the Sharks about his Kickstarter that raised $28,000 which was around 800 units. He began his first production run 3 months ago and sold 1200 units – about $48,000. All sales were organic.
Justin says he’s a bug sympathiser. He’s studied mechanical engineering and went to work with his dad designing electric motors. He decided he wanted to follow in his dad’s footsteps and become his own entrepreneur so he studied every night to get the skills to design Cup-a-Bug. He says he’s terrified of bugs but he started to feel bad squishing them. He’s also designed board game accessories, planters, desk organizers – basically anything under “the nerd umbrella.” He also gave the Sharks a bug catapault he designed and they love it.
Is Anybody In?
Mark asks if he’s investing in 10% of Justin. He says he is and Mark immediately offers $50,000 for 20%. Daymond matches that offer, then he goes to $60,000 for 30%. Justin asks Mark if they’d go in together and Mark says he wants Justin to himself. Mark goes to $75,000 for 20% “geek to geek.” Justin says “Geek to geek, Mark join me in my entrepreneurial journey.” They do the deal.
Cup-a-Bug Shark Tank Update
The Shark Tank Blog constantly provides updates and follow-ups about entrepreneurs who have appeared on the Shark Tank TV show. As of the first re-run of this episode in June, 2024 – about 3 months after the initial air date – there is no evidence the deal with Mark has closed. Mark often takes some time to post his Shark Tank investments on his website however. The Cup-a-Bug website got a complete overhaul since the original air date, something that happens a lot with his Shark Tank investments. Justin’s TikTok has well over 100,000 followers and over 11 million “likes.” Justin completely sold out of inventory and in June, 2024 he’s selling on a pre-order basis for delivery in September, 2024.
The Shark Tank Blog will follow-up on Cup-a-Bug & Justin Huang as more details become available.
