During the fundraising process for Polari Group’s $539,000 (£417,000) pre-seed round, the sex tech startup faced “challenges” from the VC world.
Sex has long been a taboo area for many VCs, but the startup’s founders say their focus on anorectal health has created extra hurdles requiring additional education for investors.
Polari Group is developing a novel device that it says can replace douching before anal sex. Inspired by their research and conversations with members of the LGBTQ+ community, co-founders Anna Vybornova and Dr Henry Blest have developed a single-use, ball-shaped device designed to be inserted into the rectum before anal sex to prevent what they call “faecal accidents.”
Made from a “novel material”, the startup’s device is in the final stages of design and is due to be released in 2025.
Preparing for anal sex can be time-consuming for those who choose to douche, a process that involves flushing the rectum with water to clean it. While NHS guidelines advise against douching, Blest, the startup’s CTO, believes doctors don’t know how to best talk about the process with patients. This means there’s very little advice available, and some people end up engaging in “dangerous” practices, he tells UKTN.
An estimated 167.7 million people in the UK, US, and Europe engage in anal sex. Addressing what they describe as an “untapped” $10.9bn market, Vybornova and Blest hope to become the go-to business for building bioengineering and material science solutions for spontaneous and hassle-free anal sex.
Polari Group is aiming to address and reduce the stigma surrounding anal sex, which is often “perpetuated by lingering homophobia,” according to its founders.
Despite the “taboo” perception from some investors, Polari Group’s pre-seed round in June attracted funding from VC Chasing Rainbows, Ada Ventures’ angel program, angel network Ventures Together, and family office Little Green Bamboo Capital.
According to Dealroom data, it’s the first European startup to raise funds to develop a product specifically around anal sex.
UKTN spoke with the founders about their journey to secure funding and the lessons they learnt along the way.
Where did this idea for tackling douching come from?
Anna Vybornova: “So, we met one year ago in an accelerator called Entrepreneur First. It’s a ‘Love Island’ for co-founders. You can come without an idea or a co-founder, pair with different people, and come up with the idea for your next company. My background is in biomedical engineering, and I worked for five years in med tech and biopharma. Henry also works in a similar field. We work well together because both of us are medical scientists and we are both very interested in sexual health and working on areas that most people consider taboo. Importantly, we are both members of the LGBTQ+ community, and we were keen on solving problems for our community.”
Henry Blest: “One of the things I find very frustrating is that sexual health services often don’t cater to the LGBTQ+ community. As a gay man who studied HIV, I’ve seen the history of activism, like people spreading the ashes of their loved ones on the presidential lawn to ensure HIV wouldn’t be ignored. I cannot understand why douching remains such a taboo topic that cannot be discussed openly.
“Medics won’t discuss it with patients; they just tell them not to do it. But 70% of gay men douche, making this a massive issue in the bedroom. It makes me so angry that no one else has looked at this before. Haven’t we learned anything? You cannot ignore marginalised communities—they must be included in medical care.”
Tell us about your funding journey?
HB: “We’ve had to do a lot of educating. When communicating with people unfamiliar with douching, especially investors, we often give this example: imagine if your girlfriend had periods for 365 days a year and every time you had sex, she had to undergo an invasive procedure. Would this be an issue for you? If yes, then understand that for people who douche, it’s also an issue.
“We learned how little information exists around douching, and through customer interviews, we discovered various ways people perform it. People learn from each other, and heterosexual communities often learn from the LGBTQ+ community. One of our missions is to normalise conversations about anal health and pleasure, providing educational materials so no one has to suffer in silence or struggle to find information.”
AV: “Entrepreneur First was an extremely open-minded environment, and we never faced any issues or judgment about working in sexual health. When we ventured into the outside world, we gained traction from angels through the Entrepreneur First network and demo day attendees. However, we encountered challenges when talking to outside VCs. Many VCs won’t invest in sexual health due to vice clauses [restrictions set by LPs on where their money can be invested that often cover things like tobacco, guns and sex].
“It’s fascinating that in the 21st century, taking care of sexual health and wellness is still considered a vice, akin to vapes or alcohol. It should be seen as a virtue. Some VCs were worried about experiencing reputational risk while others avoid investing in sexual health for fear of future fundraising difficulties. Conservative LPs often influence these decisions, leading to unspoken rules that prevent investments in sexual health or LGBTQ+ founders because it is seen as too controversial.”
What’s it like building hardware rather than software?
HB: “Initially, when you’re working on hardware rather than software, getting off the ground is much harder because people want to see something tangible or something they can buy into. Until you have something to show, it’s quite difficult to move forward.
“In the first week, when you and I started, we pitched our idea and were told we couldn’t proceed unless we could demonstrate that it worked. We managed to find a model of a rectum and showed that something we had designed, which was similar, worked. At that point, they took us very seriously. From there, we were able to build out technically in the lab, which we secured post-funding.”
What’s the business model and roadmap?
AV: “Initially, when we launch, we’re going to go direct to consumer. When selling sexual health products, the best way to do it is online, because people appreciate confidentiality and the convenience of buying on a platform. There’s also a B2B aspect, as we plan to sell to platforms like Lovehoney and other larger online retailers. Ultimately, we aim to become a completely mainstream product that you can buy in Boots or Tesco.”
What should people keep in mind when picking a co-founder?
HB: “This is the best working relationship I’ve ever had. I think I’ve grown a lot, and Anna, very early on, instilled a culture of transparency. I had never worked like this before. Being English, it’s not always easy to say what you’re actually thinking, but this transparency has been incredibly helpful.
“We say what we’re thinking and express our comfort or discomfort with something. This approach prevents decisions from being strong-armed or pushed through, which can lead to resentment if things go wrong. So, yes, transparency is the one word I would strongly encourage people to embrace.”
What has your Polari Group journey taught you about yourself?
AV: “I think this is the biggest personal growth journey I have ever experienced in my life. As a founder, you are constantly faced with your own insecurities, traumas, and issues that you need to deal with and take responsibility for.
“As Henry mentioned, we are both extremely mission-driven, and this mission is something that helps ground me. Even when things are difficult, it motivates me to persevere, make this company successful, get this product to market, and ensure it reaches the customers.”
Read more: Why are UK femtech startups struggling to get funding?
The post ‘You cannot ignore marginalised communities’ – meet the sex tech startup tackling anorectal health appeared first on UKTN.
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