Naman Shrestha
Having a firm grip on certain items of sports equipment and weightlifting equipment is something that many athletes and sportspersons struggle with. In order to tackle this issue, Greg and James have come up with an effective solution — Chalkless — which they proudly introduced to the panel of Sharks in front of them in the fifth episode of ABC’s ‘Shark Tank’ season 16.’ Hoping to get at least one of the Sharks on board with them, the duo pitched their startup brand and talked about the possibilities of investing in their business.
Chalkless Grip Enhancer: Who Are They and What Do They Do?
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the idea for Chalkless took birth in the minds of two experts in different fields — Greg Pope, a chemical engineer, and James Pidhurney, a coatings engineer. During a tennis session in his backyard, the former blamed his poor performance on his sweaty palms. That moment of exasperation resulted in the birth of a brilliant idea, and he realized that the slippery grip was only a coating problem, something that could be solved using his and James’ professional skills. Soon after Greg took the idea to James, the latter went to work in his home garage laboratory to develop a solution that tackles the grip problem.
As James and Greg were in the process of creating something revolutionary, they realized that sweat was not the reason behind the poor grip. Instead, it was due to the fact that glands in the palms produced oil to keep the skin moisturized. It took the duo a couple of years of testing and refining to come up with Chalkless. When they distributed the finished product to their friends for different sports, such as weightlifting, golf, and tennis, all the users were amazed by the effectiveness of the product. Hence, Chalkless Grip was founded in early 2023. Before joining forces for the startup based in Wilmington, Massachusetts, Greg and James worked in different professional fields.
In April 1980, Greg Pope established an independent consulting agency called Righters Group, Inc., where he still serves as the owner and president. Several decades later, in June 2017, he co-founded Entry Point International, which is an organization that focuses on discovering and introducing new construction materials and technologies to the market. Meanwhile, James Pidhurney’s educational background involves Chemical Engineering at the University of Maine and an MBA at Babson F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business. For a year or so, from 1998 to 1999, he was a Co-op at Champion International Paper before working as a Process Engineer at Teradyne Connection Systems for three years.
In 2005, James switched to Cabot Inkjet Colorants, where he was employed as a Customer Focus Engineer for the following three years. When he got the opportunity to work at Cabot Corporation for his next venture in 2009, he took on the role of Global Business Development Manager and utilized his expertise in Aerogel to help a paint company develop Aerolon using particulate Aerogel. After 9 years, James moved on and co-founded Entry Point International with Greg, which has introduced plywood replacement Proplex, weather-resistant as well as fire-rated sticky tapes called “Absurd” and “Ridiculous” into the market. Since January 2023, he has been serving as the Executive Vice President of Chalkless.
The two years that Greg and James spent holed up in the latter’s basement testing various combinations and types of oil-absorbent and water-repellent materials have yielded amazing results that have helped athletes of varying fields. Quite contrary to traditional chalk/ powder-based products, the granular formulation of this innovative product helps soak in the oil from the glands and also serves as a coating against moisture, thus offering a lasting grip. It usually comes in a shaker bottle and is also very easy to apply — sprinkle half a teaspoon of Chalkless on totally dry hands, rub your palms together, and proceed to cover your fingers and wrist with the product, and that’s it!
In the same way, the removal process is also pretty quick — you just need soap and water. Though there may be a film of the gripping matter in your hands, it will go away as soon as your body produces oils and moisture. A perfect blend of science and patented technology, combined with the vision to make “the world’s most trusted and effective grip enhancer,” has led James and Greg to invent a product that provides a game-changing and long-lasting grip, thus elevating the performances of athletes from professional-level sports competitions.
Chalkless Grip Enhancer: Where Are They Now?
As of writing, it can be said that Chalkless is gradually taking the sports world by storm. The radically engineered grip enhancer has particularly helped sportspersons from the Professional Golfers’ Association of America, the United States Tennis Association, the National Basketball Association, the National Football League, the Player Progression Academy as well as CrossFit, among many others. Everyone desires to showcase their A-game at a competition, and Chalkless helps people achieve exactly that. It doesn’t matter what field you’re from — technical, musical, construction, special forces, or sports such as tennis, basketball, pickleball, football, weight training, or gymnastics; it doesn’t discriminate when it comes to solving your grip issue.
Over the months since its entry into the market, Chalkless has come a long way. In March 2024, the team made an appearance at the PGA Show 2024 and introduced the product’s benefits to several fellow golf enthusiasts. They also attended the Massachusetts Secondary Schools Athletic Directors Association (MSSADA) Conference in the same month. They gave many the Chalkless experience at the IHRSA 2024 Convention & Trade Show in Los Angeles in April, followed by a feature on Wingding MEDIA’s ‘The Golf Director’ channel! The company demonstrated the significance of its product at the CSCCa National Conference in Fort Worth, Texas, in May, surprising everyone with amazing results after the AbMat Strength Test.
In the same month, they also set up a booth at the Sorinex Summerstrong event in Lexington, South Carolina. If you wish to “grip the day” with Chalkless, you can do so by heading to their website and checking out their solid range of items. The star product — the compact and easy-t0-carry Chalkless bottle (8gm) — is available for $24.99. If you are already a fan and are eyeing a bigger packet, you can go for the 75gm bulk pack that retails for $84.99 and comes in a resealable bag. For an even distribution without any excessive waste of the product, you can check out the Chalkless Dispensers at $389.99, which dispenses identical amounts of Chalkless through an outlet when you pull the tab until you hear a click.
It is recommended that you use the dispenser to obtain 400 measured applications via the bulk pack. The company also sells a dispenser stand for $100. By paying $459.99, you get home a Dispenser Bundle that comprises a unit of Chalkless Dispenser and two bulk packs. If you wish to grab your own Chalkness bottle, you can do so either on their official website or via resellers like RogueFitness, GolfBox, and Amazon. With a firm goal in mind and determination to achieve them, it seems like Chalkless is here to stay.
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