US femtech startup raises US$3.2m for its menstrual cycle-based fitness plan

An US femtech startup aims to connect women’s menstrual cycle to their fitness and wellness routine.

The startup, 28, has scored US$3.2m in seed funding in a round led by Thiel Capital to expand its wellness and fitness pitch.

The fitness and wellness programme is divided in four phases that coincide with hormone levels and the menstrual cycle.

“Restore” is the part when the period arrives and when the hormone and energy levels are at its lowest. The phase of “awaken” occurs after the period ends. This is when oestrogen and testosterone levels rise which makes this phase “an optimal phase for muscle growth”.

“Perform” and “balance” are the two final phases of the programme which fall on the ovulation and before-period phase. 

Co-founder, Brittany Hugoboom, said: “The great thing about 28 is that we’re incorporating a lot of different types of functional movement during different parts of your cycle.

“So, for example, when it’s your menstrual phase you’re going to be doing more like a yin-yoga stretch detox. You’ll start doing more pilates-based workouts in your follicular phase.

“During ovulation you can do the hardcore kickboxing, circuit-training. And then you kind of go back down – but you ebb and flow with your cycle. So I think that’s what makes it really unique.”

Depending on the phase, a workout takes approximately 15-35 minutes, with the average being close to 22 minutes.

“A lot of women I know were experiencing painful periods and other harmon-related symptoms,” said Hugoboom.

“Women were tired of the pill and the negative impact it’s had on their brains and bodies. They were getting off it in droves and looking for natural alternatives.

“Many women voice experiences of being dismissed or even gaslit by their doctors who would just tell them it was in their head. And most alarming of all, it became crystal clear that most women are totally clueless about how their cycle works.

She added: “It’s not their fault because most women don’t get a lot of sexual education.”

In response to the privacy concerns after the decision to overturn Roe v Wade, 28 only aims to collect data with the purpose of providing a customised user experience without selling users’ personal information to third parties.