When Kausi Raman (IPD’23) was taking a course for her master’s in Integrated Product Design (M:IPD), she was tasked with identifying and addressing a growing trend in the education space. While speaking with teachers, she learned about the push toward teaching design thinking skills, but when working with their young students, she noticed a major challenge during prototyping: Cardboard was everywhere, but cutting it required adult help. The idea for ChompSaw, a kid-safe, cardboard-cutting power tool, was born.
“I’ve always been into designing for education, but more as a digital designer,” says Raman. “The reason I came to Penn was to gain the engineering skills to do physical design, but I started my program having hardly ever held a hammer or used tools before.”
In 2021, Raman started working in the Engineering Studios @ Venture Lab, a collection of fabrication labs open to the entire Penn community. Max Liechty (IPD’22), who would become Chompshop’s co-founder and was one year ahead of her in the M:IPD program, trained her on all the different machines, including power tools. “Working in the Studios was a huge part of our company’s journey, and the Director, Taylor Caputo, provided us with so many resources and the space to work,” recalls Raman.
ChompSaw Takes Shape
According to Liechty, ChompSaw starts with the push of a single button, which activates an oscillating rod that cuts pieces of cardboard, collecting the tiny clippings in a drawer. It’s kid-safe because there are no exposed spinning parts to get tangled up in hair or clothing, and the gap around the rod is too small for fingers or materials thicker than cardboard. “But, it has that ‘power tool’ feel, and it also sounds like a power tool,” notes Liechty. “You can feel the vibration as you’re cutting, so you get the full experience, minus the fear of getting cut.”
After teaming up, the duo spent a year working in the Studios, testing prototypes with the help of countless rolls of duct tape and hundreds of kids, including Liechty’s son, Milo. “We took advantage of many different Penn resources, including the Venture Initiation Program,” says Raman. “We also did all three rounds of the Penn Wharton Innovation Fund. That’s how we got our early funding.”
ChompSaw is a kid-safe, cardboard-cutting tool with an oscillating rod that shapes the material without any exposed spinning parts that could get tangled up in hair or clothing.
In addition to Caputo (IPD’15), who is also a Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics (MEAM), Raman credits another MEAM Lecturer, JD Albert, with teaching a Design for Manufacturability class and introducing them to an industrial designer and manufacturers. “There’s just so much expertise on campus that you can reach out to if there’s something you don’t know,” she says.
Another critical step was developing a marketing strategy during a course taught by Jeffrey Babin, Practice Professor and Associate Director of Penn Engineering Entrepreneurship. “There’s an excitement about Entrepreneurship on campus,” Liechty adds. “The students in that class were incredibly supportive of one another, and Penn Engineering alumni have also reached out to work together, so I feel like we have connections that we might not have made otherwise.”
Skyrocketing Success
Equipped with marketing skills, manufacturing know-how and a functioning prototype built in the Studios, Raman and Liechty co-founded Chompshop. They launched a Kickstarter campaign, which raised $1.2 million in one month after repeatedly going viral on Instagram and TikTok.
In 2024 alone, the team oversaw manufacturing in China, began shipping units and secured an investment after appearing on ABC’s Shark Tank. They’ve since sold 32,000-plus units in the U.S. and Canada, earned $8.5 million in sales, launched internationally, won awards from Fast Company and Mom’s Choice, and grown to seven employees, with Raman as CEO, Liechty as CTO, and his 4-year-old son the “CTO” (Chief Testing Officer).
Chompshop co-founders Kausi Raman (IPD’23) and Max Liechty (IPD’22), brought the ChompSaw to the national stage on ABC’s Shark Tank, showcasing the creativity, determination and entrepreneurial spirit that define Penn Engineers. Photo courtesy of Disney/ABC Television Group.
Despite rapid success, product development was a little bumpy to start. “The first prototypes worked, but after 30 minutes, they’d overheat, or the plastic we were using would warp. It was certainly not kid-safe,” says Liechty. “Now, the material is a lot more reliable, it’s no longer 3D-printed and laser cut, and it’s gone through safety certifications. It looks completely different from the very first prototype.”
Additionally, the team made ChompSaw smaller to fit in supply closets, and they continue to improve the product. “The general feedback is that it’s amazing for kids to be independent and have ownership over their final projects, and to do more open-ended learning,” says Liechty. “For example, one kid recently used a ChompSaw to make a new cardboard body for an old remote-controlled car. He’s taking it to the next level, which is amazing.”
Looking ahead, Chompshop recently set its sights on STEM education. The company is hosting a Cardboard Genius Contest, will be launching an Inventors Club, a monthly subscription for cardboard projects, and is working on curricula for schools. “That’s what we’re most excited about,” says Raman. “Being able to bring in more of an educational component in terms of engineering, spatial reasoning and invention to make a real difference in how kids are taught.”
Story by Janelle Weaver / Opening photo by Colin Lenton