Yesterday, Procter & Gamble (P&G) announced its acquisition of This is L., a period care startup that manufactures organic pads and tampons. Although the startup would not disclose the acquisition amount, TechCrunch reported that a person with knowledge of the investment put the price tag at roughly $100 million. This is a big win for the Femtech space, which some still view as “niche”.
This is L. was founded in 2011 by Talia Frenkel, a former photojournalist who worked with the United Nations and the Red Cross. While documenting humanitarian crises around the world, Frenkel witnessed first-hand the neglect of women’s sexual reproductive rights and the effects of HIV/AIDS on women and girls. She initially began a distribution campaign of condoms and then expanded her business to include period products. But the mission has always been the same: for every product sold, another is made accessible to a girl or woman in need.
