Charles Michael Yim

Charles Michael Yim is a serial entrepreneur and chief executive officer of Breathometer, a device that measures blood alcohol content of users utilizing iOS and Android smartphones.[1][2] Yim founded Breathometer in September 2012.[3] Breathometer proved unreliable, and was shut down by the FTC [4] He previously founded three other startup companies, including Chatterfly.[1][5] He served as founding chief executive officer of Chatterfly, a mobile loyalty platform for businesses, until it was acquired by Plum District in December 2011.[6][7] He began his career in software and business development at Fortify Software.[5][6]

In September 2013, Yim appeared on Shark Tank, a reality television series that features entrepreneurs who are seeking venture capital for their companies.[1][8] Yim originally asked for $250,000 for a 10% stake in Breathometer, but all five “sharks” ended up investing a total of $1 million for a collective 30% stake in the company.[8] This business deal was the first deal in the series’ history in which all five investors participated.[1] The event forced Shark Tank’s producers to reevaluate their strategy for selecting entrepreneurs to appear on the program.[9]

In January 2017 the FTC filed a lawsuit against Breathometer, alleging "deceptive" advertising. While Breathometer claimed their devices were accurate, in truth, Breathometer's products were not adequately tested for accuracy, the FTC alleged. Further, the FTC charged that the defendants were aware that Breeze regularly understated BAC levels. Nonetheless, they allegedly failed to notify users of these problems and continued their deceptive advertising.

According to the complaint, sales of Original and Breeze totaled $5.1 million. The order required the company to pay full refunds to consumers who request them. [10]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Timothy Hay (October 18, 2013). "Fresh From Swimming in ‘Shark Tank,’ Breathometer Raises $2M for Smartphone Breathalyzer". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
  2. ↑ Max Nisen (September 28, 2013). "This Awesome Idea Got All 5 'Shark Tank' Investors To Invest $1 Million Together". Business Insider. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
  3. ↑ Patrick Hoge (March 13, 2013). "Mobile phone breathalyzer unveiled". San Francisco Business Times. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
  4. ↑ . FTC https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2017/01/breathometer-marketers-settle-ftc-charges-misrepresenting-ability. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. 1 2 Jameson Ketchum (March 15, 2013). "Breathometer Helps You Party Responsibly". Substream Magazine. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
  6. 1 2 Sarah Perez (August 17, 2011). "Chatterfly Launches Mobile Digital Loyalty App". TechCrunch. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
  7. ↑ Sara Perez (December 8, 2011). "Moms Love Daily Deals: Plum District Raises $20 Million, Acquires Chatterfly & DoodleDeals". TechCrunch. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
  8. 1 2 Charles Luzar (September 30, 2013). "Breathometer Proves Market On Indiegogo, Sets ‘Shark Tank’ Record". Crowdfund Insider.
  9. ↑ Jeffrey Powers (March 15, 2014). "Charles Yim: Breathometer Talks how Indiegogo Lead to Shark Tank – SXSW 2014". Geekazine. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
  10. ↑ . FTC https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2017/01/breathometer-marketers-settle-ftc-charges-misrepresenting-ability. Missing or empty |title= (help)
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