Who is Greg Pope?
David "Greg" Pope is a chemical engineer and longtime business owner who co-founded Chalkless, a grip enhancer marketed as a cleaner alternative to chalk. He founded the consulting firm Righters Group in 1980 and remains its owner and president, and in 2017 he co-founded Entry Point International with James Pidhurney. The Chalkless idea started on the tennis court during the pandemic, when Pope blamed his game on sweaty palms. He and Pidhurney concluded the real culprit was skin oil as much as sweat, and they developed a granular formula that absorbs oil and coats the hands against moisture.
The Wilmington, Massachusetts, company launched in early 2023 and targets tennis, golf, fitness and other grip-dependent sports, with sales online, on Amazon and through specialty retailers. It reported about $740,000 in sales for the year before its Shark Tank appearance in Season 16. The founders asked for $400,000 for 4%. Mark Cuban dropped out after they declined to disclose their cost structure, and they closed a deal with Kevin O'Leary and Rashaun Williams that included a per-unit royalty.
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