Jaclyn Fu

Post-pitch story

Jaclyn Fu and Lia Winograd pitched Pepper as a bra brand for a group the lingerie industry had mostly ignored: women with AA, A and B cups. What started on Kickstarter has become one of the show's clear breakout stories. Pepper has kept its focus on small-chested women while expanding well beyond its first bras, adding athleisure, bridal and lounge wear by late 2025. Fu has talked about running the business with "practical delusion," aiming big while staying profitable, which is unusual in direct-to-consumer fashion. Investors noticed. According to funding records, Pepper raised a $50 million Series C in February 2026, led by Lead Edge Capital and Index Ventures, bringing total venture funding to more than $52 million. The company is based in Denver, with operations in Brooklyn. Fu remains CEO and Winograd is COO. Plenty of D2C brands from the same era burned through cash and faded. Pepper did the opposite: it found an underserved customer, served her really well, and grew carefully enough to stay profitable. For a company that started with one simple insight about fit, that's a remarkable run.