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Latina entrepreneurs are taking over the intimate wellness space despite not having the access to capital and resources of their non-Latinx counterparts. Latina founders are the fastest-growing cohort of entrepreneurs (running nearly 2 million businesses across the US), yet they receive less than 2 percent of venture capital funds. These Latinas are breaking barriers and bringing intimate wellness to the masses.
One key Latina player in the intimate wellness category is Danielle Levy. She’s the cofounder and CEO of Happy V, an intimate wellness company offering scientifically sound, high-quality vaginal wellness supplements. Happy V was born out of Levy’s first-hand experience with lackluster vaginal health care while coping with bacterial vaginosis (BV) and vaginal infections. BV is the most common vaginal infection among women ages 15 to 54. Vaginal infections are normal and aren’t only associated with poor hygiene or sexual activities.
The Colombian entrepreneur grew up in a traditional conservative Latinx family where discussing vaginal health was taboo. “I didn’t talk to my mom about sex. Latinas are taught to be a ‘good girl,’ and sex is off-limits until you’re married. Many Latinas feel ashamed or embarrassed to talk about vaginal health,” Levy says.
Throughout her vaginal health journey, she switched gynecologists five times. Doctors dismissed her symptoms and the negative toll BV was taking on her life. “I stopped going out with friends or exercising since moisture can exacerbate BV. It was even impacting my ability to concentrate at school and work,” Levy says.
Frustrated, she began researching in hopes of finding the root cause of these infections and for natural ingredients that treat symptoms. In 2019, after countless conversations with scientists, suppliers, formulators, doctors, and other women, she launched Happy V’s high-quality, safe, innovative, effective, and affordable doctor-formulated products.
Launching a business was no easy feat. “I’ve encountered stereotypes throughout my career, and I’ve felt I had to go above and beyond the call of duty to prove my competence and capabilities. I confront challenges with a can-do attitude and don’t get deflated by bumps in the road. Obstacles are a part of running a business. Having a resilient mindset crystalizes a strong entrepreneurial spirit,” Levy says.
“I don’t want Latinas to carry the shame we had to carry when embracing our sexuality.”
Melissa Saavedra
Levy is thrilled to see diversity and inclusion expanding in the intimate wellness space—especially with Latina entrepreneurs’ contributions. “Cultural empowerment motivates many Latina entrepreneurs. We’re inspired to break barriers and challenge cultural taboos,” she says.
One of her peers is Rebecca Alvarez, the first-generation sexologist, CEO, and cofounder of Bloomi, the first Latina sexual wellness brand stocked in Target and Saks. She secured a $600,000 pre-seed round in 2021 to develop the product line that was followed by a $2 million seed round in March 2022, which helped Bloomi launch at Target stores throughout the US. Bloomi offers clean, allergen-free, and user-friendly intimate care essentials to enable folks to have more satisfying sex lives including the use of sex toys, lubricants, and more.
Then there’s Melissa Saavedra, a US Navy veteran who founded Steamy Lit in 2021. It’s the world’s first inclusive romance and sexual wellness subscription service that includes self-care items and vibrators. A portion of proceeds from each box is donated to select nonprofits including Trans Women of Color Collective and Latinx in Publishing.
Over 90 percent of romance novels published in 2021 were written by white authors, and only 7.8 percent of romance novels published in 2021 were written by BIPOC authors. Saavedra wanted to open the lines of communication around sexual wellness and diversify bookshelves by amplifying the voices of authors of color and nonbinary/genderqueer authors who’ve been underrepresented in the publishing world. “Being a Latina and being able to launch the first inclusive romance wellness subscription service is a big breakthrough,” Saavedra says.
Steamy Lit is breaking the traditional mold of the romance novel industry by focusing on diversity. “BIPOC authors write just as beautifully and just as well, so why are marketing dollars not put behind those books? I want to model that shift and change the way folks see romance, which has been seen as a not-so-serious genre and that romance readers aren’t ‘real readers,’” Saavedra says.
Her company quickly expanded and launched the Steamy Lit Con and Swoony Lit, a YA book box. Looking towards the future, she hopes to open Steamy Lit bookstores in South Florida.
“Growing professionally as a Latina immigrant has been hard,” she says. Without access to capital, Saavedra had to utilize her savings to bring her vision for Steamy Lit to life. “Everything was sold through presales, which impacted our marketing since I couldn’t showcase our box without first securing pre-orders first.”
Like her peers, Saavedra grew up in a household that didn’t discuss sex or intimacy but notes that her Latina body has always been sexualized. “I don’t want Latinas to carry the shame we had to carry when embracing our sexuality,” she says. “Many of us grew up in religious households that taught us our pleasure isn’t important. Latinas are often sexualized and fetishized and if we embrace our sexuality we’re shamed. I’m still unlearning our community taboos—removing shame from embracing my sexuality is hard.”
