Chirps is a line of high-protein snack chips made with cricket flour. Other ingredients include corn, beans and chia seeds. Compared to regular potato chips, Chirps has three-times more protein. Two of the founders, Laura D’Asaro and Rose Wang (who met at Harvard), pitched their business on Shark Tank in January 2017. They went into the Tank seeking $100,000 in exchange for 7 percent equity. They had the good fortune of pitching before billionaire Mark Cuban who knows about high protein snacks after investing in Chapul, snack bars made with crickets.
On Shark Tank, Cuban offered Chirps $100k for 20 percent equity; they negotiated for 15 percent and then shook hands. In addition to the variety of flavored chips (bbq, cheddar, sea salt), Chirps also makes Cricket Protein Powder ($11.99) and Chocolate Chirp Cricket Protein Cookie Mix ($9.99). Since the show aired, Chirps broke a world-record. Chirps were used to build the largest order of nachos ever assembled. At SoMa StrEat Food Park in San Francisco, a 70-foot-long dish of nachos were served. It weighed more than 5000 lbs.! New episodes of Shark Tank air Sundays at 9pm on ABC. [27 Favorite ‘Shark Tank’ Products at Amazon — New List]
