Justin Huang secured a deal with “Shark Tank” investor Mark Cuban for his bug catcher, Cup-a-Bug, in an episode that aired on ABC last month.
Huang accepted a deal from Cuban, who owns a $19 million vacation home in Laguna Beach, for $75,000 and a 20% stake in Cup-a-Bug, as well as any future inventions.
Huang said he is still working out the details of the deal with Cuban, which he cannot disclose, but is “excited to hopefully work with him directly in the future.”
“Being on the set itself was a surreal experience because I’m a fan of the show,” Huang told the Business Journal.
Huang plans to put the investment toward research and development of new products.
Humane Bug Catcher
Cup-a-Bug is a device for people who want to catch bugs without harming them, Huang said.
Huang modeled the product after the common “cup and paper” method and attached it to a 3-foot-long pole to avoid having to get too close to the bug.
With Cup-a-Bug, users place the plastic container over the bug, use a lever to slide the lid shut, then can release the bug outside.
Huang, a self-proclaimed arachnophobe, came up with the idea for Cup-a-Bug when he couldn’t find any product that could trap bugs from afar.
“When I started living on my own, I didn’t have my parents or anyone else to help me catch bugs,” Huang said.
Huang launched Cup-a-Bug after raising $28,000 on crowdfunding platform Kickstarter in February 2022, and began selling in June 2023. Total revenue to date has not been disclosed.
Cup-a-Bug has since amassed 107,000 followers and nearly 11 million likes on social media platform TikTok.
While Cup-a-Bug is only available to purchase within the U.S., Huang hopes to eventually sell it across the world.
“There’s been a lot of Cup-a-Bug followers that have requested it be available in their country,” Huang said.
It costs $40 per unit and is currently only available for pre-order on Cup-a-Bug’s website and Amazon due to increased attention from “Shark Tank.”
‘Serial Inventor’
Huang described himself as a “serial inventor.”
He graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 2010 but diverged from a typical engineering career to pursue his own interests.
Cup-a-Bug is just one of several products launched under his company Solid Factory.
Huang founded the business, which is based in Irvine, in 2016 and started out by using a 3D printer to make accessories for board games such as dice rollers and card trays.
“Later on, when I felt comfortable with the knowledge I had gained, I decided to try to build something with more complexity like Cup-a-Bug,” Huang said.
