WHY BESTIE EXISTS

In 2022, a man attacked our founder, Sarah Haspel, as she walked to dinner. She had nearly three decades of martial arts training, and her pepper spray was in her bag, where most women keep it. When she got to it, it fired exactly as it should. Then she ran into the critical gap pepper spray companies rarely talk about: it can take a few moments to take effect. In those moments she had nothing for close range.

That night exposed one gap in self defense for women. When she looked at what was on the market, she found another: nothing had actually been created for women. Every pepper spray and personal alarm was either bulky and tactical, bedazzled, or simply made pink. None of it embodied what it is to be a woman.

In martial arts, you are taught not to show what you carry until you use it. And a tool is only effective when it is within reach. Bestie, an every day carry (EDC) self defense tool, was designed to do both. Most people who see it for the first time mistake it for a lighter or a bottle of perfume, so it can sit in plain sight, close at hand, and still perform the moment you need it.

The result is a three-in-one self defense device for women. Attacks can happen quickly, and you need a tool that is ready when you are, with no fumbling for the right thing and no complicated decisions under pressure. One button gives you distance with a stream of pepper spray, and a 120 dB alarm that draws attention and disorients. And because spray can take a few moments to work, isn’t always the right call, and sometimes the distance has already been closed, Bestie gives you a striker for close range.

THE TEAM

  • SARAH HASPEL

    Founder & Chief Executive Officer


    What happens when a Hall of Fame martial artist asks women on the street why they don’t carry pepper spray, and they tell her it looks like an adult novelty? You get Bestie. Sarah built her career in entertainment, hospitality and fashion, where how something looks and feels is the whole job, while earning her place in the United States Martial Arts Hall of Fame. So when women told her they kept their protection hidden because they didn’t want it seen, she knew which problem to solve first.

    Sarah is passionate about making self defense a lifestyle. There is a physical side to it, but she believes that learning to set boundaries and building financial independence are self defense too. She wants it practiced daily, like applying skincare or taking vitamins, and no longer treated as a taboo subject. Her view is simple: self care is self defense.

  • NORM TOLENTINO

    Chief Engineer


    Innovation runs deeper than rocket science. With an illustrious engineering career spanning SpaceX, Boeing & Northrop Grumman (yes, some of his creations are currently in space and orbiting Earth and Mars), Norm brings literal rocket science to personal protection. As a father of daughters, he immediately understood the vital importance of Bestie's mission - creating protection that women would actually want to carry and could confidently use. His perspective as a girl dad brought invaluable insights throughout the development process, helping transform innovative concepts into elegant reality. When technical challenges seemed insurmountable, Norm, who moonlights as a professional magician, conjured up the perfect blend of precision engineering and out-of-the-box thinking to make the impossible possible.

AND ROCKY

We call him Rocky to keep his identity private. He was Sarah’s first call after that night in 2022, and he helped with the very first napkin sketch. With decades in law enforcement and martial arts behind him, he applied his real-world experience and observations to Bestie. Like Norm, he is a girl dad.

In fact, every man behind Bestie is a girl dad.

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