Portfolio Spotlight: Polari Group Raises $539k

Great news this week for our portfolio founders at Polari, Sifted, the Financial Times’ backed startup news outlet, has reported that the Polari Group has secured $539k in pre-seed funding for “a novel device which it says can replace douching before anal sex.” The product was funded by Chasing Rainbows as well as Ada Ventures' angel program, angel network Ventures Together, and Little Green Bamboo Capital.

The achievement was also noted by Femtech Insider, who said that “Polari Group plans to partner with major sexual health organizations to improve awareness and reduce the stigma around anal health and pleasure.”

Polari is the first European startup to receive funding for a product designed specifically around anal sex. As the article notes, “a 2013 study of more than 1k gay men in Belgium found that two thirds had had anal sex in the previous four weeks and one 2016 survey found that a third of heterosexual people in the US had in the previous year. Using figures from those studies, Polari estimates that 2.8bn anal sex acts happen yearly across the UK, US and Europe.” Polari believes that their product could be a huge opportunity for investors in an underserved market in sextech.

Read more about the Chasing Rainbows funded startup and their product here.