Matthew Tesvich, founder and CEO of Skunk Skin, announced today that the odor-eliminating sock company has been acquired. Terms of the deal and the acquiring company remain confidential.

Founded in 2021 and officially launched in 2022, Skunk Skin (formerly OX SOX) was built from a college dorm room with zero outside investment. The brand gained national attention after Tesvich became the youngest contestant to win Buy It Now, Amazon Prime's #1 new show in 2024.

"Skunk Skin started as a solution to a personal problem that I and many other teammates dealt with - stinky feet, " said Tesvich.

"What it became was proof that you don't need investors or a perfect plan to build something real. It just takes relentless pursuit and willingness to figure it out " as you go.

The journey from idea to acquisition was marked by bootstrapped hustle and unconventional moves. After being cast on Buy It Now, Tesvich flew to visit his top 10 customers in 10 days across the country - including learning to throw axes at a customer's facility between interviews - to gather feedback before rebranding from OX SOX to Skunk Skin. He then spent a month in China executing the rebrand, naming the company just one week before filming began.

When the show launched during the 2024 Christmas season amid the port workers' strike, Tesvich worked around the clock coordinating with Mandarin speakers and West Coast port authorities to get inventory to warehouses before the episode aired. The team made the deadline with just one week to spare.

The company faced additional challenges along the way, including having its Atlanta warehouse inventory go missing at one point. Despite setbacks, Skunk Skin secured more than $250,000 in non-dilutive funding through pitch competitions and expanded distribution to all 50 states and all seven continents, including Antarctica.

Tesvich credits mentors and supporters who believed in the vision from the beginning, including the late Bob Pinckney, who helped start EvoShield and told Tesvich he would build "the next one." Pinckney passed away in 2025. "The socks were mission one, " Tesvich said. "I've felt since I was a kid that I'm called to change the world for the better. I can't wait to see what mission two looks like."

Skunk Skin will continue operations under new ownership with an expanded team. Tesvich is transitioning out of day-to-day operations to pursue his next venture.