WoW Women in FemTech | Julie Leclercq-Argueta and Rebecca Story, co-founders of Bloomi

Interview by Anja Streicher

Julie Leclercq-Argueta is co-Founder and CBDO at Bloomi. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Sciences and a Master’s degree in Marketing and Market Research from Sciences Po Paris, where she graduated Cum Laude. She also holds a certification in Computer Science from the university of Berkeley California. Julie focuses on identifying business development opportunities and driving strategic partnerships that accelerate brands. Prior to Bloomi, Julie led Business Development and Partnerships for Orange Silicon Valley where she supported portfolio startups in their international growth, connecting them to C-level executives from various corporations and VC firms. She also served as Chief of Staff to the CEO and co-founded the Women in Tech program, a community of 200+ members who support the FemTech industry in San Francisco. She has worked with global brands in BD, sales and partnerships roles in the media industry including Maison Moderne in Luxembourg and My Little Paris in France (acquired in 2017).

Rebecca Story is a nationally respected Sexologist and social impact entrepreneur. She works with womxn, couples and teens to help them navigate a variety of sexual wellness topics and find holistic ways to maximize their sexual agency. She has been named a “Latina Trailblazer” by Forbes for normalizing conversations about sexual wellness. Rebecca has been featured in Well + Good, Refinery29, Parents, Parents Latina, Elite Daily, BeLatina, mitú and more. She is a proud daughter of Latinx immigrants and also focuses on diversity initiatives that empower other womxn of color. Rebecca graduated from UC Berkeley with a major she created, Women's Health & Sexuality, and holds a Master's in Sexuality Studies where she studied Female Desire and Arousal.

Bloomi is the first intimate-care marketplace that empowers women. Our sexologist-led platform offers clean products as well as research-based health information to enhance intimate care and sexual wellness. For the health-conscious woman, we seek to demystify what healthy intimate care means and allow people to make the best choices for their bodies. Bloomi screens items against Bloomi’s Clean Standard, the first standard in this industry --featured in Forbes in 2018, to ensure they meet the highest standards and allow customers to shop with ‘peace-of-mind’. 

Julie, Rebecca, tell us a little bit about yourself, your background, and your roles at Bloomi. 

Rebecca: I am co-founder and CEO of Bloomi, I am a Latinx sexologist very passionate about women's intimacy issues, I’m also a mom of 2 girls. 

Julie: I’m French/Italian and CBDO of Bloomi. I focus on identifying business development opportunities as well as driving strategic partnerships for our brand. Prior to Bloomi, I led Business Development and Partnerships for Orange Silicon Valley where I supported portfolio startups in their international growth. I also co-founded a Women in Tech program supporting the FemTech industry in San Francisco. 

What's the story behind Bloomi? What inspired you to create a marketplace for quality, clean intimate care products? 

Rebecca: I was inspired to start Bloomi because shopping for intimate care products was inconvenient and confusing. Inconvenient because I had to look for my intimate care products in multiple locations. Confusing because there are too many toxic ingredients out there. Women deserve a single and reliable destination for intimate care shopping. 

I think that people are more and more conscious of the choices they make every day for their health. We read the ingredients list on our food, the labels on our clothes, and skincare products, but it wasn't until recently that we saw the rise of the clean, organic femcare products. How would you compare the market 5 years ago and now? 

Rebecca: 5 years ago, organic tampons were pretty much the only -almost- mainstream items out there. Amazing companies like Lola put that on the map. However, people were still not comfortable talking about sex, and all the toxic ingredients in Femcare weren’t so exposed yet. Nowadays, customers expect more transparency and are talking about intimacy way more openly. Especially during Covid, people have been focusing much more on self-care. It’s perfect timing for Bloomi to be at the forefront of the clean intimate movement. 

And please tell us a bit more about your Banned List and how you educate women about the importance of what they put inside their bodies. 

Rebecca: We created our Banned List to ensure that all women can access safe and enjoyable products. Lax regulations and cultural taboos mean that the majority of intimate care products contain cheap, toxic, and often secret ingredients. This is unacceptable. At Bloomi we screen thousands of products and less than 2% are approved. We created Bloomi’s Clean Standard, the first standard in this industry --featured in Forbes in 2018, to ensure all our items meet the highest standards and allow customers to shop with ‘peace-of-mind’. 

Sustainability is core to Bloomi, how do you make sure to be working with eco-friendly brands that use sustainable ingredients and manufacturing processes? 

Both: We’re prioritizing brands that have eco-friendly product formulation and packaging. We also offset carbon emissions. 

What's the best selling product on Bloomi and why? 

Both: Our best selling product is actually our first manufactured product: Bloomi Arousal Oil. Our oil was developed to provide a natural, feel-good “boost” leading up to and during foreplay and sex. For many, it can increase circulation, heighten sensations, and balance sexual energy. We’ve sold out several times! 

What was the most challenging part of starting a business for you and what would be one piece of advice you would give to other female founders looking to start their own businesses? 

Rebecca: The most challenging part of starting the business was underestimating the capital needed to launch and scale. We would encourage other female founders to talk to other entrepreneurs in their industry. And plan ahead to bootstrap the company for at least 6 months. 

What's the most rewarding thing about your job? 

Rebecca: I love it when customers share stories about products improving their sex lives. I also get really excited about virtual sessions on Thursdays with experts. It reminds me of being a sex-ed teacher.

Julie: Knowing that you are making a difference in the lives of many women.

What's next for Bloomi, do you have any exciting projects or launches coming up? 

Both: A few weeks ago we decided to give everyone the opportunity to become an angel investor in Bloomi. We launched on Republic and got more than 65K raised in a couple of weeks. We also have several new brands that we are launching before the end of 2020.  Follow us on Instagram to hear about the scoop :-) 

Who are your 3 inspirational women and/or businesses in FemTech? 

1. Jessica Alba, because she’s one of the first Latinas to IPO. 

2. Cindy Gallop (Make Love, Not Porn), because she’s pioneering and changing the way people see sex and porn.

3. Crystal Etienne (Ruby Love), because she’s just killing it with her brand.

Follow Bloomi on their website, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

This interview was conducted by Anja Streicher, Chief Marketing Officer of Women of Wearables. She is passionate about women's health and supporting women in business.