Preview Mode Links will not work in preview mode

The Blueprint with Eliot Marshall


Sep 24, 2021

Born and raised in Buffalo, NY, Chris Gronkowski was the middle of the 5 Gronkowski brother's. Playing sports throughout his childhood and high school, he accepted a full scholarship to play division 1 football. He graduated from the Univ. of Arizona with a bachelors degree in Accounting.

Chris went into the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2010 and went on to start for 3 different NFL teams including the Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts, and the Denver Broncos.

After his NFL career ended, he and his wife Brittany created and grew their online personalize gift shop into one of the biggest and best personalized gift stores online. With their successful company Everything Decorated running smoothly, Chris saw another opportunity in the market.

After his NFL career ended, Chris continued to live an active lifestyle. During a hot summer Texas day, Chris was at the gym lifting weights. When he went to take a sip of water from the bottle he had brought with him it was warm and had a lingering taste from the protein shake he had made the day before. Frustrated with the shaker bottles he had been using for year, he went home to try to find something better. Chris noticed there was nothing on the market that fit his needs and set out to make a product that would be ideal for not just the gym and mixing protein shakes but also for everyday use at the office.

Chris created Ice Shaker and launched the product in December 2016. After 5 months he was able to generate about $80,000 in sales. Chris was able to get onto the show ABC's Shark Tank at this point and pitch to the Sharks in which he was able to land a deal with Mark Cuban and Alex Rodriguez.