Disrupting Menstrual Care: Lauren Wang's Journey

Overcoming investor skepticism requires evidence of market demand.

\"Investors would say... you're never going to be mainstream America... Well, respectfully, your wife is not my target demo.\"

• Lauren persisted despite investor doubts, focusing on retail success. • Proved her product's appeal beyond niche markets, scaling nationally.

Effective ad creative can unlock significant growth.

\"One big unlock for us has been finding new ad creative... Funny enough, the ads with me in it are the ones that do the best.\"

• Featuring herself increased authenticity with customers. • Testing new ad creative led to scalable marketing success.

Creating demand before the product launch is crucial for funding.

\"We had a limited production run... we flew from city to city... mailed them out... to demonstrate the traction we needed.\"

• Lauren built a waitlist and delivered samples internationally. • Did things that don't scale to prove demand and attract investors.

Building a team begins with reaching out to your network and asking for help.

\"I made a third list of email addresses and I typed up, you know, I have this idea... I need to make my first financial model.\"

• By making specific requests, Lauren engaged her network in early tasks. • Being clear in asks can mobilize support even without a formal team.

Early-stage founders can leverage their networks to fill knowledge gaps.

\"I created a second list of all the smart people I'd ever interacted with... started working... asking for help.\"

• She reached out with specific, time-bound requests, leveraging connections. • Accessed expertise without significant capital investment.

Entering retail requires navigating complex challenges, especially for new products.

\"Trying to figure out how to break into retail was extraordinarily challenging... Procter and Gamble and Unilever basically controlled the shelves.\"

• Lauren persisted in pitching to major retailers despite obstacles. • She adapted to retail demands, managing cash flows and supply chain complexities.

Marketing a taboo product requires focusing on positive messaging.

\"It was really important for me to create a brand that was not fear mongering... I didn't want to bash tampons... I didn't want any person to feel badly.\"

• Lauren emphasized benefits rather than criticizing competitors. • She created a welcoming brand, fostering trust with customers.

Participating in an accelerator like Y Combinator provides visibility with investors.

\"I got the interview... and Sam Altman was like, I don't know a lot about periods, but... I think you're going to be the person to do this.\"

• Acceptance into YC gave Lauren confidence and access to top investors. • Demo Day exposure led to significant investor interest and funding offers.

Securing initial funding for a physical product is challenging without demonstrating demand.

\"I didn't have enough cash to produce their orders... So... I called Vanguard to cash out my 401k... she was like, you're going to pay more than half of this in taxes. I'm like, I don't have a choice.\"

• Lauren self-funded by cashing out her 401k when funding was unavailable. • She invested personal savings, showing dedication to potential investors.

Identifying a personal pain point can uncover a market need and lead to product-market fit.

\"I had this one really obvious problem... I was getting infections from tampons every single month for 15 years... there has not been any meaningful innovation in this space in nearly 100 years.\"

• Lauren turned her health issue into a startup by researching the lack of innovation. • She identified a gap others overlooked, creating a new product category.