The menopause’ market potential largely remained untapped all these years due to stigma and silence around it. With more and more startups now focusing on women’s health, the stigma surrounding menopause and other things have started to fade away. In medical terms, menopause is defined as the state of absence of menstrual periods for 12 months.
MPowder raised £500K funding
Based out of London, MPowder is an e-commerce brand providing nutritional powders that tackle hormonal changes and provides women with insights, practices, and tools to empower them through menopause.
The company has recently raised a £500K seed round from Pink Salt Ventures, Founders Factory, and other strategic angels including Mumsnet co-founder, Carrie Longton. The menopause market is predicted to reach $5.28 billion by 2023.
How MPowder was born?
Rebekah Brown, former creative agency executive, founded MPowder following her negative experience after visiting her GP when she started to encounter perimenopause symptoms at the age of 46.
Rebekah Brown, founder, and CEO says “My doctor didn’t identify the early symptoms of perimenopause. I didn’t fit the profile. I was ‘too young’ and still having a regular cycle. I was advised to take ‘time out’ to address exhaustion and upweight my vitamin intake. My experience isn’t unusual. Menopause simply isn’t well enough understood or researched. It is presented as an end-of-life category when it should be a midlife empowerment category.
She continues, “The options available to us have not kept pace with the way we live and how we see ourselves. Medical intervention can work wonders. But not everyone can or chooses to take them. This is a life stage that 51% of the population will go through. Women deserve a greater choice – and innovative, smart, robust solutions that encompass the body and mind.
Brown concludes, “This investment is another step towards our vision to provide the same depth of service and community to women going through the three stages of menopause as women going through the three stages of pregnancy. We are the first generation that will potentially live 50 years after the start of menopause so life is just beginning!”
Aims to help 13 million UK women experiencing menopause
With thirteen million women in the UK transitioning through menopause today, around 75% will visit their doctors with symptoms, and out of those, three quarters will leave the surgery with nothing, claims the company.
In this regard, MPowder aims to improve this experience with its selection of plant-based powders that address the distinct biochemical needs, relieve symptoms, and nutritional deficiencies experienced through the three stages of menopause.
Notably, MPowder sells its nutritional powders for the three stages of menopause directly to its customers via its website and is already receiving repeat orders. The brand’s first powder ‘Peri-Boost’ is available now with two additional recipes to follow in the New Year.
Further, the company has an active ‘Powder Room’ community of ‘Makers’ that trials product recipes, verifies efficacy, and provides detailed feedback on their lifestyle programmes.
Those participating in the round include Samira Ann Qasim, an investor at Pink Salt Ventures, who says:
“The menopause market today should be targeting women as women in their prime, with a wealth of experience to offer society. Most offerings fall offensively short. When and if diagnosed, medical drugs are available for hormonal and mental health symptoms. However, as a natural life transition, women deserve options beyond the disease and cure model.
MPowder is currently in the Founders Factory Home & Hygiene accelerator programme, backed by Reckitt Benkiser.
Carrie Longton, co-founder of Mumsnet and MPowder angel investor said: “MPowder has a genuine and serious mission to make all menopausal women’s lives better. In the next 12 months, the team will be testing recipes for women who, like me, have had breast cancer and are therefore excluded from so many menopausal aids.”