Empowering Women's Health: A Conversation with Lisa, Founder of LUWI
Lisa, a breast cancer survivor and seasoned sales executive, is the founder of LUWI, a company poised to revolutionize the sexual health landscape. Driven by a personal need and a profound realization about women's health autonomy, Lisa has created a novel, hormone-free, over-the-counter contraceptive and STI prevention product designed specifically for women. In this interview, Lisa shares her inspiring journey, the challenges and triumphs of building a startup in a traditionally stagnant industry, and her vision for empowering women through choice and innovation.
Interview
Q: Lisa, your journey to creating LUWI is deeply personal. Could you share the moment you realized you had to develop this product?
A: My journey to LUWI is intensely personal. After surviving breast cancer and divorce, and with two young children, I found myself needing hormone-free contraception. When I explored my options, I was shocked. There was virtually nothing available over-the-counter for women. There was a hormone-free IUD, but it didn't protect against STIs. The market was dominated by condoms designed for men.
The pivotal moment came unexpectedly. I'd arrived home after a long day, and my son, busy playing, asked our babysitter to give me a hug for him. I told him, "Some things are too important to outsource." That phrase struck a chord. My health, my contraception, my STI prevention – these were too important to outsource. And that's what the existing options, primarily condoms, essentially required. Every woman's health is too important to outsource. I wanted to be fully in charge of my body, and that option simply didn't exist. That was the spark that ignited LUWI.
Q: Your background is quite diverse, including experiences like working at Everest Base Camp. How have these experiences shaped you as a founder, fostering resilience, drive, and creativity?
A: My career path hasn't been typical, and I'm grateful for that. Those diverse experiences, often pursued against my parents' wishes, have given me a broad perspective. They've allowed me to see patterns and, importantly, to recognize the potential for breaking those patterns to create something new. I'm currently reading Mike Maples' book, "Pattern Breakers," and it resonates deeply with my founder journey.
Some of my experiences have been physically challenging, not just mentally. Facing massive obstacles is a gift, in a way. You can't ignore them. You have to make decisions, to change direction. I had to do that to save my life, to save my children's lives. That speed and frequency of decision-making builds confidence. And because not everything goes perfectly, you learn resilience. You learn from the misses, the stumbles. There's a line from the poem "Invictus" that I love: "Under the bludgeons of chance, my head is bloody, but unbowed." That's how I feel.
As a leader, especially in a startup, you must convey that conviction, that vision. The team needs to feel it. The courage, tenacity, and stamina required to bring a product from nothingness to market are immense. A lot of this can't be taught; it has to be caught. That's why in-person interaction is so vital – the team needs to catch that energy, that belief.
Q: It's evident that female founders often face different questions than their male counterparts, with a focus on risk rather than potential. What has been your experience with market reception, both from your target audience and from investors?
A: There are two distinct markets. Our primary target is Gen Z, and their reception has been phenomenal – beyond my expectations. They are a creative, thoughtful, and incredible generation.
The investor market is different. I've encountered questions focused on liability, even though our product's efficacy is in line with existing options like condoms. I've had our sales projections, based on my extensive sales experience and my head of sales' deep industry knowledge, questioned as "unbelievable." It's hard not to wonder if a male founder would face the same skepticism. We're keeping receipts, and we'll prove them wrong. There's a double standard, undoubtedly.
Q: Are there questions you wish investors would ask, or messages you'd like to convey that you feel are being missed?
A: Many investors ask "Why now?" in a certain way, but I think it's a crucial question to address head-on. A similar product existed decades ago, but it was prescription-only and had limitations. Think of it like comparing a girdle (if it required a prescription) to modern Spanx. LUWI is updated, sexier, and utilizes new technology for a thinner, more heat-transferring design and is more easily accessible by being OTC.
The "Why now?" is answered by several converging inflection points. There's a regulatory inflection point: the FDA classification has changed. There's a technological inflection point: the materials and manufacturing capabilities are now available. There's a social inflection point: post-Roe v. Wade, women are demanding options, and Gen Z is embracing natural, low-chemical, hormone-free products. This generation also values egalitarianism – equality at work, at home, and intimately. This is about health equity. Walk down the sexual health aisle, and you'll see a wall of condoms and a few products for treating yeast infections. That's the imbalance. This generation is ready for LUWI in a way previous generations weren't.
Q: What was the turning point, the moment that solidified your resolve to keep pushing forward, despite the challenges?
A: There have been several. Initially, it was about solving my own problem, and the problem of women like me. But a pivotal moment came when I gave my son "the talk" and handed him a box of condoms. I told him he was in charge of himself. Then I passed my daughter's room and thought, "What am I going to tell her? That she isn't in charge?" I needed to get LUWI to market so I could tell her the same thing: "You are in charge of your body."
The overturning of Roe v. Wade was another turning point. The stagnation in this industry is shocking. My daughter has the same options as my mother did. That's unacceptable. Women want this. Women need this.
Think of Uber and Lyft disrupting the taxi industry, or Airbnb disrupting travel. People initially thought those ideas were crazy. Similarly, some might see condoms as the unchangeable status quo. But we've seen this movie before. LUWI gives women the power to be the star of their own protection. It's about choice, freedom, and health equity. It's a basic human right. And, frankly, having options simply makes people happier. Research proves it.
Q: What have been the biggest hurdles in navigating the regulatory process, and what's next?
A: The regulatory team has been great – responsive and clear. But the process is demanding, requiring immense patience and attention to detail. I never imagined I'd be discussing the burst rate of polyurethane and the viscosity of lubricants, but that's the level of detail required. We even had to build a custom machine to conduct some of the tests! It's been a huge learning curve.
We have an incredible team of experts in regulatory affairs, law, engineering, supply chain – everyone working together. We're almost ready to submit, aiming for a Q4 launch.
Q: How do clinicians, particularly patient investors, play a role in this innovation, and how does a partnership with an organization like GHIN help accelerate growth?
A: Our team and our product will change the sexual health world forever. Our mission is to give women power over their own health, to set them up for success. The ripple effect of that impacts every aspect of their lives – personal, familial, health, fertility, and economic well-being. When a woman owns her future, her power is exponential.
GHIN and LUWI share goals for health and innovation. We want to collaborate with this community, to be part of the change they're driving. Connecting with GHIN's network will accelerate awareness of LUWI and support women as they learn about and choose to use our product.
Q: Given your extensive sales background, what's your vision for LUWI's go-to-market strategy? How does your experience give you a unique advantage?
A: Having a sales-obsessed founder makes a huge difference. I'm wired to find purchase orders, to connect with customer segments, to meet them where they are.
Many investors push for direct-to-consumer (D2C), but we're initially focusing on B2B. It's more efficient. We have letters of intent from universities eager to be our first purchasers. They already buy condoms in bulk to distribute to students, and they want to do the same with LUWI. They'll be frontline promoters! This turns our sampling budget into a revenue stream and significantly reduces marketing costs. We'll be "training the trainers" – health clinic directors and student interns – to educate their peers.
Beyond universities, we're targeting distributors serving college bookstores and convenience stores. CVS has already signed up for a pilot program at locations near campuses. We anticipate demand for D2C will grow, and we'll be well-positioned to launch that channel after our initial B2B phase, having learned from the university rollout.