Former USC students Melina Chang, Nick Hsu and Riley Yen represented their company, Im’peccable Chicken, on Shark Tank last week. The company sells vacuum-sealed packages of protein-packed poultry to eat on the go.
The concept started as a dorm room project by Chang, and began to take flight after Chang met Hsu and Yen at USC Marshall.
In October 2023, Chang began experimenting with cooking using a sous vide machine in her dorm room in New North after she found out the packaged chicken she had eaten back in Taiwan was not available in the United States.
“Every day after I did my homework, I would experiment with the flavors. I would experiment with chicken breasts, the cook time, the temperature,” Chang said. “Initially it was just a fun project with my best friend at the time that I met at USC.”
Chang stopped attending USC in 2024 and received a $340,000 loan from her parents to fully commit to the start-up. She established a chicken factory in Commerce, California, about 10 miles southeast of campus, where the products are made and shipped from.
While Yen is no longer a leader in the company, Hsu partnered up with Chang after they began selling food together at the Trojan Marketplace.
“I was really interested in the project. I thought I had some unique skills in selling and just building systems that I felt I could contribute something tangible to the team,” Hsu said. “And, starting December, I was working on-site with Melina in our facility, just around 20 minutes away from campus.”
Some students had the opportunity to get their hands on the product when it was sold on Trousdale Parkway, as well as at other on-campus locations.
“I’m just eating protein in a bag without any sweeteners I get from other protein bars, or even shakes,” said junior computational neuroscience student Amuyla Harish. He bought the 20-pack of chicken online shortly after his first taste.
Prior to their appearance on Shark Tank, Hsu and Chang were pitching to major companies, including Sprouts, Whole Foods and Target. However, they realized they needed to pivot.
“We decided instead of splurging so much money on trying to break into a market that wasn’t ready for us, we should build up our brand equity right through opportunities like Shark Tank,” said Hsu. “[We wanted to] continue to build a community, either here in LA or branch out through influencer partnerships.”
On Shark Tank, the team asked for a $75,000 investment with a 5% stake. Chang emphasized how this product was a crucial component of her weight loss journey when she lived in Taiwan, where such products were readily available.
During the episode, which aired last week, investor Kevin O’Leary noted how protein has been the new craze.
“There are many people looking at longevity in protein,” O’Leary said. “I tried to do 180 grams a day with real food, and it’s very hard…I can see how this might work.”
All five Sharks made competitive offers. Two pairs of Sharks offered joint deals of $200,000 with a shared 15% stake: Lori Greiner with Kevin O’Leary and Michael Strahan with Robert Herjavec.
Chang and Hsu chose Greiner and O’Leary as their investors.
After the Shark Tank success, the team developed new goals to develop their company.
“Revenue-wise, I would like to take the business to $10 million in annual revenue by the end of next year,” Chang said.
Hsu emphasized the importance of a new channel for the product.
“The next step will be scaling this product into the retail channel,” Hsu said. “We want to specifically focus on convenience stores, gyms, cafes and airports because we see this as the perfect grab-and-go product.”
Harish believes an expansion into stores will make more people inclined to purchase the product and incorporate it into their own diet.
“I think it would get a lot more people to try it once,” Hsu said. “And then be sold on it.”