Direct-to-consumer (D2C) sexual wellness & bedroom essentials startup MyMuse has completed its seed round of funding, taking the total amount raised to $1.2 million. The round was led by Saama Capital and saw participation from MyMuse’s pre-seed investors, Sauce VC and Whiteboard Capital.
12 prominent angels have also joined the cap table over the 2 rounds of funding, including Mohit and Malika Sadaani (Mom’s Co.) and Varun Sadana (Supertails, Licious). The brand plans to use these funds to grow its team, introduce a range of innovative products, strengthen brand positioning, and expand distribution.
Launched by husband-wife duo, Sahil (HBS MBA ’19, ex-Private Equity) & Anushka Gupta (ex-WeWork India, OML) in 2021, MyMuse is India’s first gender-neutral brand dedicated to sexual wellness.
Seeing a gap in the market for high-quality adult products, the couple decided to create a new-age brand that reframes how Indians approach intimacy– making it easy, approachable and fun. With discreet, well-designed products, spanning full body massagers, lubricants, oils, couple games & gift kits, plus relatable content, MyMuse has been able to break taboos and build a loyal community.
“The MyMuse team has been able to capture hearts and minds, by being honest and bold, yet respectful of cultural norms. They are passionate about the importance of brand love and mission and this is exemplified by the overwhelmingly positive response from customers,” said Ash Lilani, Managing Partner at Saama Capital.
Conservative estimates value the sexual wellness market in India at $1.2B, while globally the market is well north of $75B, growing at an exponential rate. “The premium sexual wellness market has grown significantly over the last few years and we are confident that the MyMuse team is the right team to develop this category with high-quality products and conversations around the subject,” said Anshu Prasher, General Partner at Whiteboard Capital.
“Anushka & Sahil have built a talented team choosing to keep a lot of the key brand-related functions in-house to deliver high quality and unique engagement. Their innovative methods, hands-on approach, and desire to mentor, have attracted top talent and brought the best out of their people,” said Manu Chandra, Managing Partner at Sauce VC.
According to Anushka Gupta, Co-Founder, “As Indians, we’ve grown up in environments where the topic of intimacy has been swept under the rug, and products for the bedroom are hidden in brown-paper bags. We wanted to focus on beautiful, unintimidating products that can become a seamless addition to one’s daily life. Our fundamental message is that intimacy is a universal and integral part of life, so products for this area deserve attention.”
The brand has witnessed immense growth (~40% m-o-m), and served 15,000+ customers across 281 cities in India thus far. Sahil, Anushka, and the MyMuse Team are firmly focused on creating an unparalleled product and brand experience, promoting positive sex education & conversation, and bringing excitement back into the bedroom.
“We feel that brands today have a responsibility to help educate and bring about positive change– that’s why we’ve focused our efforts equally on building informative & relatable content,” said Co-Founder Sahil Gupta. “We’ve been positively surprised by how eager and ready consumers across India are to embrace products for their intimate experiences, and we aspire to bring them the best,” he added.
