Los Angeles-based Pique has raised $4M in seed funding led by Maveron to further build out and continue scaling accessible, effective, sexual health care solutions for women. The company launches its first offering today targeting post-menopausal women with a holistic solution that combines medical expertise with mental, physical, hormonal, and social factors to offer patients holistic, personalized care.
In the United States, 43% of women struggle with sexual dysfunction, compared to 31% of men, and 62% of women have admitted to not being satisfied in their sex lives. However, only 29% of gynecologists ask their patients about their sexual satisfaction and the average medical student only receives 3-10 hours of sexual health education during their studies. While there are many solutions to treat erectile dysfunction, there are few medical equivalents for women and the women’s reproductive and sexual health market remains in its infancy. Oftentimes sexual health discourse is limited to toys, lubes, and lingerie, causing women to feel alone in their struggles, insecure, and unsure of where they can obtain answers to their sexual health issues.
Pique is here to change that. This virtual clinic is on a mission to provide a suite of solutions for every chapter of a woman’s sexual journey, starting with menopause, and help address concerns from painful sex, vaginal dryness and low libido, to helping women build confidence, maintain strong intimate relationships, overcome sexual trauma, and beyond.
After seeing and experiencing the lack of resources for women dealing with sexual health issues, Leslie Busick, the Founder and CEO of Pique, took matters into her own hands. She started by curating virtual events during the pandemic where women would come together and discuss sexual concerns and topics. The conversations continued to gain traction and after partnering with close friend and Stanford graduate, Max Savage, they decided to create a digital health platform for women to receive personalized, sexual health care plans with tangible solutions to support their concerns. New patients begin their Pique journey with a complimentary introductory session with a Nurse Practioner who specializes in sexual health and creates a custom care plan that may include different types of vaginal estrogen, sex & relationship counseling services, suggested lifestyle changes, and recommended resources from Pique’s library. Patients are able to track their progress with the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), a standardized sexual health quiz to measure sexual function in women. Busick hopes the brand will help to destigmatize the sexual health category and give women the power to take control of their health, pleasure and well-being.
“At Pique we are empowering women to celebrate their desires and embrace them as a fundamental pillar for a happy, healthy life. By providing prescriptions, mental health support, resources and more, we can support women as they progress in their sexual health journey so they can build a deeper relationship not only with their partners, but with themselves,” shared Leslie Busick, Founder and CEO of Pique.
Anarghya Vardhana, Partner at Maveron, adds: “We are thrilled to back Leslie, Max, and the team as they take on a huge category of women’s sexual health. The need to support women throughout their reproductive and sexual journey, including during menopause, is more pressing than ever before. A full stack solution that combines clinical level care with mental health and the convenience of a direct to consumer brand is exactly what we were looking for in the space, and is precisely Pique’s approach. Every woman entering menopause should feel empowered and supported — we are excited to support Pique as they go after this audacious and important opportunity.”
