Shark Tank's Bombas: Where Is The Company Now?

Flashy and over-the-top products presented on "Shark Tank" aren't typically the ones to achieve the greatest success post-show. Rather, it's the items that are practical to the average consumer, ones that put a surprisingly useful spin on things already found in the home, that truly make it big.

A prime example of this is Bombas, a sock company founded by David Heath and Randy Goldberg, who appeared on Season 6, Episode 1. Both always boasted an entrepreneurial spirit, with Heath previously holding a summer job that involved going door to door selling knives, and Goldberg selling counterfeit watches at a flea market. However, the two, who became friends in 2007, never exactly intended to start a sock company.

It naturally began to take form in 2011, when they learned from a Facebook post that, of all clothing items, socks are the most requested at homeless shelters. Quickly, their desire to help led to the creation of Bombas athletic leisure socks, which are not only engineered with seven improvements over competitors, but beneficial to community members in need. Read on to see what happened on Bombas' "Shark Tank" episode and how the company is faring today.

In fall 2014, David Heath and Randy Goldberg appeared on "Shark Tank" to pitch Bombas. After asking for $200,000 for a 5% stake, they explained to the Sharks what makes the company so special. In addition to improved features compared to the average athletic leisure sock (natural fiber that keeps feet warm in winter and cool in summer, no annoying toe seam, honeycomb arch support, blister tab for ankle socks), they explained that, with every pair purchased, one pair was being donated to someone in need.

At that point, after nine months of exclusively online sales achieved solely through word of mouth, Bombas made $450,000, with Heath and Goldberg expecting to increase that to $2.7 million the following year. One by one, the Sharks dropped out for various reasons. Kevin O'Leary (what's the worst deal he ever made on "Shark Tank"?) couldn't comprehend how they could possibly make a profit by giving away so many socks, while Lori Greiner disliked that they'd use the $200,000 to hire staff. They ended up bargaining with Daymond John, eventually agreeing to a deal of $200,000 for a 17.5% stake, plus the financing of inventory.

While a number of companies seen on "Shark Tank" have gone on to have massive success (speaking of, check out how successful Scrub Daddy is now), Bombas reigns supreme as the top-selling product to come from the ABC reality show, achieving over $1 billion in sales.

This has allowed Bombas to uphold its founding mission and donate more than 100 million clothing items, including socks, T-shirts, and underwear, to those in need through its network of over 3,500 homeless shelters and organizations across all 50 states. David Heath told Forbes, "The majority of our customers are within 50 miles of a giving partner. When we say, 'Your purchase is impacting your community,' we can follow through on that. We have a giving directory on our website. You can put in your zip code, and you can look up the giving partners that are closest to your zip code."

Bombas has expanded its lineup beyond socks to include T-shirts and underwear (also highly requested at shelters), as well as slippers. Also in the aftermath of "Shark Tank," Heath and Goldberg worked closely with Daymond John (check out the one deal he regrets turning down), with Goldberg telling Entrepreneur, "... it's been a fruitful and amazing relationship."