Canaan Kimball kick-starts new app

For senior kicker Canaan Kimball, ambition doesn’t stop on the sideline — it continues through his entrepreneurial pursuits. 

Kimball has created multiple original products outside of his athletic career, using his competitive side on the football field to improve his ventures with hard work. 

He created YumEats, a scientific app designed to address eating struggles and screen addiction in a fun way. The app engages children through interactive audiobooks, social stories and videos that promote healthy eating habits, turning screen time into a tool for gradual behavioral changes.

Kimball began building YumEats during his first year in college after being inspired by Ryan Markovcy, the son of Lehigh football’s strength coach Eric Markovcy. 

Born micro-premature, Ryan Markovcy faced early feeding challenges that motivated his father to encourage older children to pursue healthy habits. He shared the idea for the app with Kimball, and together they built a platform for it.  

Kimball said the app benefits both families and therapists by offering tailored care and tracking each child’s progress. 

He expanded his entrepreneurial journey during his sophomore year by joining Lehigh’s Venture Lab. After pitching YumEats through the Baker Institute and receiving initial funding, Kimball said he turned to the lab for additional support and resources. 

Since then, he’s developed Deal and Dink, which launched this year. The product changes the game of pickleball by having players draw cards with distinct challenges, such as only scoring when left-handed, to add a competitive twist.

Kimball said he was impressed by the growth of the pickleball market and wanted to capitalize on it.

He said being a Division I athlete has played a major role in his business success. 

“It’s just like football practice,” Kimball said. “You have to show up on time, put in the extra work and believe in yourself.” 

Michael Rinkunas, the director of the Lehigh Venture Lab, said Kimball’s drive and discipline rooted in football have positioned him for long-term success. 

He said Kimball is great at time-management and works around the clock. 

“(Kimball) embodies Lehigh’s approach of being a universal person,” Rinkunas said. “He is always seeking to learn, to experiment, to push himself forward, uses failure as a learning curve and constantly learns from mistakes.”

Kimball said his work ethic stems from his father, who worked multiple jobs as a high school coach, teacher and pastor. 

Kimball said he tries to mimic that work ethic and is inspired by the way his father lived his life because he did anything he could to provide for their family. 

Sophomore wide receiver Matthew D’Avino said Kimball’s determination stands out in every area of his life. 

He also said Kimball does a lot for the community. 

“He’s someone that I aspire to be because of his work ethic and how he is working towards so much for his future,” D’Avino said.

As a devout Christian, Kimball said his faith is the foundation of everything he does, whether it be playing football or innovating.

After graduating  in May, Kimball plans to pursue  entrepreneurship full-time while working part-time for Stoke Ventures, a product development firm founded by a Lehigh alumnus. He said he enjoys his work there because it allows him to gain practical experience while continuing to advance his own projects. 

For each of his ventures, Kimball said he likes to treat them just like he plays football — competitively and giving his all. 

“I want to win,” he said. “I want to beat my competitors, to show up every day, put in the extra work, have confidence, and make that choice to feel 1% better every day just like we do on the football field.”