Charles Michael Yim Net Worth 2026: Breathometer, Shark Tank, FTC

No reputable outlet has published an estimate of Charles Michael Yim's net worth. The $5.3 million figure on earlier versions of this page had no source, and claims elsewhere online that he co-founded Reddit and is worth $1.5 billion are false. Yim is a Silicon Valley entrepreneur best known as the founder of Breathometer, the smartphone breathalyzer that won backing from all five investors on ABC's Shark Tank in 2013, and which later settled Federal Trade Commission charges over the accuracy of its readings. He now describes himself as a founding partner of the venture firm Sync.VC.

What is Charles Michael Yim's net worth?

There is no figure from Forbes, Bloomberg, Celebrity Net Worth or a major newspaper. Yim has said he built and sold two companies before Breathometer, but the buyers and prices were not reported. Breathometer itself was a venture-backed startup whose device sales totaled about $5.1 million before the FTC case required full refunds to buyers. His stake and any income from Sync.VC are private. For those reasons this page does not give a number.

Breathometer on Shark Tank

Yim founded Breathometer in 2012 to make a small breathalyzer that plugged into a phone and estimated blood alcohol content in seconds. On Shark Tank in September 2013 he had already raised $1 million from investors and asked for $250,000 for 10%. According to a Business Insider report republished by the State Journal-Register, Mark Cuban offered $500,000 for 20%, other investors bid too, and Yim invited them all in. The final deal was $1 million for 30%: Cuban put in $500,000 for 15% and the other four sharks split the remaining $500,000 for another 15%. Yim said the product had sold more than $100,000 on Indiegogo in its first month.

The report described how the deal came together. Cuban said he already worked with sensors through another company and called the technology the future; Lori Greiner asked to join for retail, and Kevin O'Leary countered with $250,000 for 15%. Rather than start a bidding war, Yim said he planned to close a full $1 million round within 60 days and was happy to let more than one shark in. He also answered questions about legal liability for a device that could influence whether people drove. The report said he raised the money in about 20 minutes instead of the two months he had planned.

Yim told the Successful Pitch podcast in 2015 that Breathometer was the third company he had founded, that he had studied at Stanford, and that he had won a startup contest run by Richard Branson. He also said the company was working to expand from alcohol testing to breath-based health checks.

The FTC settlement (2017)

In January 2017 the FTC settled charges that Breathometer had overstated the accuracy of its devices, according to an analysis by the law firm Keller and Heckman. The FTC said the original $49.99 device, which shipped from mid-2013, had gross sales of $3.1 million through March 2016, and the $99.99 Bluetooth version, called Breeze, about $2 million from mid-2014. It also said the company learned in late 2014 that Breeze readings drifted downward over time, but did not tell customers until 2016. Under the settlement, Breathometer agreed to notify customers and give full refunds, and Yim is barred from making accuracy claims about the device unless they are backed by testing to federal highway-safety standards.

Career timeline

Sync.VC and recent work

Yim now presents himself as a founding partner of Sync.VC, an early-stage investment firm. In 2021 he joined the advisory board of Creators' Legal, a legal services platform for online creators, where the launch release listed him as representing Sync.VC (PR Newswire). Bloomberg's executive database still lists him as CEO and founder of Breathometer. He has posted publicly about artificial intelligence and blockchain, but this page found no press coverage of specific Sync.VC investments or fund size.

Personal life

Earlier versions of this page gave his age and height and made general claims about his childhood. None of that was sourced and it has been removed.

How he compares

For other founders who appeared on Shark Tank or built consumer tech brands, see Billie Whitehouse, who pitched on the Australian version, Carrie Chiang and Carolyn Tisch Blodgett.

Why there is no figure

Breathometer's total device sales of about $5.1 million were refunded under the FTC settlement, and the company's value after 2017 is unclear. Yim's earlier exits and his Sync.VC holdings are undisclosed. With no reliable data on what he owns, any figure would be a guess.