Yo! Crash mobile rage room owner ready for Youngstown Shark Tank
Meet Mara Cunningham, owner of Yo! Crash, a mobile rage room based in Youngstown designed to travel.
Cunningham, a Youngstown native, is one of five business owners selected to pitch at the upcoming Youngstown Business Incubator Shark Tank.
Yo! Crash is a woman-owned business, as well as Ohio’s only mobile rage room.
At first, Cunningham held a grand opening for the storefront version of Yo! Crash in March of 2020 right when the COVID-19 pandemic began.
“As we entered a global pandemic, it was a true shock to our business,” she said. “While unforeseen, we emerged with a stronger goal, deeper passion and newfound understanding and sense of community after closing our storefront - we pivoted to a mobile business model and have been happily on the road and raging ever since.”
Cunningham wants Yo! Crash to be the community’s “place where it’s OK to be ___,” however they are feeling.
“I wanted to create a company that allowed our community to relieve stress and release tension while serving as a safe space for heart healthy fun within our community,” she said. “Whether you are celebrating a birthday, team victory, looking to relieve stress before finals week or grieving the loss of a loved one - our rage room is here for you.
“We offer the unconventional opportunity to break plates, bottles, and electronics with bats and hammers all in the name of fun, through purposeful destruction,” Cunningham added.
In addition to four other local business owners, Cunningham will pitch her business ideas in front of a live audience for the chance to win a $30,000 investment.
“We’ve attended and supported for years and with careful thought and consideration, we decided that the correct time for our business to participate is now,” Cunningham said. “With our work through MBAC of Youngstown and YBI evolve, we hope to showcase to our community all of the work we’ve done to get here and where we plan to go.”
She said she’s honored to be chosen for this year’s Shark Tank.
“YBI has chosen historic and innovative companies in the past, like YOGO Bikeshare and Dope Cider House and Winery,” she said. “With so many business women and men in the room, I’m excited to showcase the heart of Yo! Crash, which I believe emulates the heart of the Valley.”
YBI Shark Tank is happening at 5 p.m. Oct. 24 at Mr. Anthony’s Banquet Hall.
Find out more about Shark Tank on the Youngstown Business Incubator website and follow Yo! Crash on social media.
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