Skimpies - Shark Tank Update

Bette Bentley drew on her comedy-writing background to demonstrate an everyday frustration: ordinary liners that refuse to stay put inside leggings. Skimpies addressed it with an organic-cotton liner designed to adhere to clothing, and she wanted $250,000 for 3% of the business.

The idea came from her own experience jogging, but turning it into a business required moving beyond hand-cut prototypes and committing to manufacturing. Bentley shared that a breast tumor and double mastectomy had forced her to reassess her priorities, helping her find the resolve to invest $25,000 in tooling with her husband’s support.

The company launched in September 2024 and made $6,000 that year. Six months of daily TikTok livestreaming and videos that accumulated roughly 70 million views helped drive $570,000 in sales the next year without paid advertising.

Bentley projected $2 million for the current year, with a Walmart launch planned at filming. The economics attracted attention: a large box cost about 50 cents and sold for $15.99, while a smaller purse pack cost 44 cents and wholesaled to Walmart for $3.22.

She had already raised $1 million at an approximately $8.3 million valuation. Kevin O’Leary offered $250,000 for 5% plus a perpetual 50-cent-per-box royalty, while Rashaun Williams offered $250,000 with no equity in exchange for the same royalty until he received $1.25 million.

Lori Greiner and Barbara Corcoran each wanted 10% for the $250,000. Bentley wanted to build a broader women’s essentials brand around organic cotton and preferred a long-term equity partner.

She resisted royalties and double-digit dilution, citing margins and her existing investors. After further negotiation with Barbara, she accepted $250,000 for 8%, securing a straightforward equity deal without the royalty obligations in the competing offers.

Subscriptions and repeat purchases are an important part of Skimpies’ plans beyond its viral-video success. In an August 2026 Shopify interview, Bette Bentley discussed using a larger subscription box exclusive to the brand’s website to encourage direct purchases alongside its Amazon and Walmart sales.

She also described plans for targeted subscription discounts during the holiday shopping season. Following the Shark Tank broadcast, the website is promoting a $27.99 Shark Bundle alongside its $12.99 Purse Pack, $19.99 Big Box, and $49.95 90 Day Super Pack.

Together, these options give the business ways to serve first-time buyers and customers who want to replenish regularly. Barbara Corcoran’s televised agreement adds an experienced consumer-business partner to the story, although the company has not released a post-broadcast sales figure.