WoW Woman in FemCare | Katie Diasti, founder and CEO of Viv

Katie Diasti is the Founder & CEO of Viv, an earth-friendly direct-to-consumer period care brand. Katie grew up in Tampa, FL with a large Egyptian-American family. She went off to Boston College to study Marketing & Managing Social Impact in the undergrad business school and at 21, Katie began building Viv. Katie has since spoken at many events, raised a pre-seed round of funding for Viv, and Viv has completed 3 accelerators including MassChallenge Boston. 

Viv is an earth-friendly direct-to-consumer period care brand built by Gen-Z womxn for Gen-Z womxn. Viv believes in innovation, activism, and inclusivity.

Katie, tell us a bit about your background and your projects so far.

I’m Katie, founder and CEO OF Viv. I have a background in marketing and branding. I had worked at large ad agencies and Coca-Cola beverage brands. I also worked for a nonprofit that educates entrepreneurs on how to raise capital and spend 4 years volunteering at a shelter for women in Boston where I taught art & ESL classes. I’m is passionate about community building and oftentimes brings female founders together to support one another. 

How did you get into this industry? Has it been an easy industry to get into or have you had many challenges?

I was frustrated with the way hygiene brands spoke to a female consumer and made us feel insecure rather than empowered. Knowing my generation could see through these inauthentic and ethically incorrect marketing practices, I decided to build a brand that was more inclusive. While studying hygiene brands, I began unravelling all the problems in the menstrual care space. From the ingredients to the plastic-waste involved in period care, to accessibility & inclusivity around menstruation…the list of issues that were not well known seemed endless. Space wasn’t the easiest to jump into given the amount of education required and the regulatory landscape of menstrual care, but the potential of the space has made it so worth it. 

How long did it take you to be where you are now? What was the biggest obstacle? What are the challenges of being in the industry you are in? 

The biggest obstacle was the mental hurdle to begin working on Viv full time right out of college instead of going to the big corporate job I had lined up. It was so clear that I was wildly passionate about building Viv, but sometimes we get in our own way and taking the leap and betting on myself has made all the difference.

 What are your biggest achievements to date?

Viv was featured in Forbes last September which was amazing to see that a sustainable period care brand was talked about in a more serious business publication. I have also spoken on many panels and ran workshops to encourage others to become founders. I just completed a pre-seed fundraising round for Viv as a 23-year-old female founder of colour during a global pandemic.

What are the projects you are currently working on?

In terms of Viv, we are growing our product line and have a really exciting tampon launch coming soon! We also just launched a Viv podcast around breaking stigmas around menstruation. Personally, I have been building a network of other female founders that can support one another and share expertise so we all thrive. 

Is the #WomenInTech movement important to you and if yes, why? 

Absolutely! Beyond needing more representation in the space, increasing access to resources for womxn in tech can lead to incredible innovations that make the world a better place. Womxn offer an incredible perspective on problems and solutions in the world, and by lifting up womxn in tech, the positive residual effects are endless. 

What will be the key trends in your industry in the next five years and where do you see it heading?

Sustainability will become the new requirement over time, it will be less about greenwashing and more of a requirement from consumers. The concept of voting with your dollars will continue to grow, and consumers will have a greater influence on how companies scale. Inclusivity will also grow in popularity especially in the Fem Tech space. A lot of beauty and menstrual care brands target just women and don’t include individuals that may not identify as womxn that still menstruate or use similar products. Brands are already starting to speak out about political matters, and this will only grow as we continue to hold our government and society accountable. 

What is the most important piece of advice you could give to anyone who wants to start a career in this industry?

You are going to be embarrassed by the first thing you launch, and that’s a good thing. Launch, learn, grow & improve….that should be a never-ending loop as you continue to grow a business as well. So many founders, especially female founders, believe everything has to be perfect before you launch. My advice is just to do it! That can oftentimes be the hardest part, just starting. 

 Who are three inspirational women in your respective industry you admire?

Whitney Wolfe Herd of Bumble, Sara Blakely of Spanx, Trinity Mouzon of Golde.

Find out more about Viv on their website.

Follow them on Instagram.

This interview was conducted by Marija Butkovic, Digital Marketing and PR strategist, founder and CEO of Women of Wearables. She regularly writes and speaks on topics of wearable tech, fashion tech, IoT, entrepreneurship and diversity. Follow Marija on Twitter @MarijaButkovic and read her stories for Forbes here.