Here's What Went Down With Boobypack After Shark Tank
Ever look at an already-convenient item — say, a fanny pack — and think, "I can innovate this further"? Well, Christina Conrad did. An avid EDM fan who loved to attend raves, she found it a hassle to dance while trying to hold on to her cash, phone, keys, and other small essentials. A belt bag is fine for daily use, but for parties where there'd be a crush of people, it's not a foolproof way of keeping valuables secure. Since women sometimes stash small items in the safer confines of their bras, Conrad thought of creating "a fanny pack for the rack."
Thus, she came up with Boobypack, a sports bra that comes with two zippered pockets on either side that are lined with water-resistant material. Women can then store their cash, keys, and even their phones by their ribs for safekeeping without having to worry about sweating all over them. Conrad decided to use the money her late father had left for her post-graduate studies to fund her new business (per Gazette Review). With the help of a Kickstarter campaign that raised $32,725, she was able to establish her company and launch the Boobypack website in January 2014.
Conrad appeared on Episode 19, Season 6 of "Shark Tank" to ask for $80,000 to take her company to the next level in exchange for 20% equity. Two investors made their offers but one Shark who initially said, "Pass," swooped back in to make a deal that Conrad immediately accepted.
Barbara Corcoran had a change of heart and made an offer
Though the business was initially targeted to Conrad's fellow ravers and party-goers, Boobypack expanded to include anyone with an active lifestyle who needed their hands free. The company reportedly made $10,000 in sales the day of its website launch and by the time the founder made her pitch on "Shark Tank," lifetime sales had reached $167,000 (via Gazette Review). Since Boobypack was exclusively sold online, Conrad explained to the Sharks that she used her search engine optimization know-how to market the brand and tapped social media to connect with customers. An alumnus of Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, she also used her writing savvy to develop a cheeky tone for Boobypack's online presence.
Kevin O'Leary, whom Conrad believed could help her with licensing her product, offered $80,000 for no equity but $10 in royalty for perpetuity. Conrad didn't want to lose money that could be used to grow the company so she refused. Robert Herjavec jumped in to ask for 30% equity for $80,000 yet declined to take a smaller share in the company. O'Leary returned with a counteroffer that asked for $10 per unit sold until he made back $320,000, plus 5% in equity, but the founder was resolutely against paying royalties. That's when Barbara Corcoran, who initially said that Conrad seemed capable enough not to need her help, made a surprise offer of $80,000 for 25% equity. The Boobypack entrepreneur was quick to accept the deal.
Boobypack expanded its product range and sales post-Shark Tank
Not only did Boobypack gain an investor but, according to Conrad, within two minutes of the episode's airing, the company made $2000 in sales. In a 2017 interview with Hubspot, she shared, "Our baseline so far is about five times what it was before the show." She also revealed in an essay she wrote for Insider that she had her sights set on Corcoran even before she entered the tank. "I went in knowing that I was gunning for Barbara, that I would not take a royalty deal, and that I was willing to raise my equity offer to 25% for the right shark."
Thanks to the funding, Boobypack's product lineup expanded to include tank tops, bodysuits, limited-edition designs, and a capsule collection of crop tops. Outside of what had been disclosed on air, though, sales figures post-"Shark Tank" weren't made public. Conrad told Hubspot, "A lot of people have asked me to tell them exact numbers but my advisor, Barbara, says I should only tell people exact figures if they're interested in investing!"
Some customers raised concerns about the risk of radiation exposure from keeping a phone near one's breasts for extended periods. On Boobypack's Kickstarter page, Conrad advised turning off one's mobile phone before storing it inside the Boobypack. She also shared a statement from the National Cancer Institute that clarified, "... the evidence to date suggests that cell phone use does not cause brain or other kinds of cancer in humans."
Boobypack announced its closure in December 2016
In November 2016, just a year after the episode aired, Conrad announced on Boobypack's Instagram and Facebook pages that it was ceasing its operations, with the company's remaining available pieces on sale at the e-commerce site Zulily. She also posted a picture of Corcoran wearing a limited-edition Boobypack Shark Tank top, indicating no bad blood between the two.
The reason behind this decision was never made public. Boobypack, however, shared in an Instagram post made in October 2016 that a Turkish company seemed to be copying their products:
It's unclear if the issue was in any way related to Boobypack closing down since there was no follow-up post on the topic. The post revealed, though, that Conrad was able to follow her plan to patent her product, at least in the United States. The company made its final social media updates on December 5, 2016. At the time of writing, the Boobypack website domain is also up for sale.
From a raver lifestyle, the founder now focuses on parenting and writing
Since closing Boobypack, Conrad has returned to her writing roots, working as a freelance writer as well as a member of the UNICEF Next Generation Committee, per her LinkedIn page. She also got married, trained to become a birth doula, and now goes by the name Christina Bernstein. Together with her husband, two kids, and a variety of pets, she lives in Connecticut.
In January 2021, she self-published her children's book "Princess Pine Cone and the Wee Royals," featuring illustrations that are described as "high-res facsimiles" of hand-embroidered scenarios that were made by one of her artist friends. Conrad described the original hand-embroidered book as "the only one of its kind." She's currently working on her first novel.
Conrad described her four years as an entrepreneur as "a brief stint in e-commerce." But no matter what lane she chooses to go into next, she applies her knack for creative thinking and storytelling to find ways to innovate what's already present.