Sara Blakely put $5,000 into Spanx; 21 years later, it was valued at $1.2bn

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1. Thu, 15 October 2026

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   • Times of India06:05first to report
     Sara Blakely put $5,000 into Spanx; 21 years later, it was valued at $1.2bn

     Sara Blakely founded Spanx in 2000 with $5,000 in savings while working as a door-to-door fax machine salesperson. Despite having no formal business training or outside investment, she built the company into a global womenswear brand. In 2021, Blackstone acquired a majority stake in the company at a $1.2 billion valuation, with Oprah Winfrey and Reese Witherspoon joining as investors.