Mar 15, 2021
Anna Lee never wanted to be an entrepreneur, much less design and champion a data-driven sex toy.
Graduating from University of California, Berkeley, with a degree in the male-dominated field of mechanical engineering, Lee — the daughter of conservative Korean immigrants — worked at corporate giant Amazon as the sole woman on the concept engineering team. Having fully realized the “American dream” for which her parents sacrificed, Lee still felt professionally unfulfilled.
In time, Lee found her purpose when she and her co-founders joined to create Lioness: the award-winning, first smart vibrator. Lioness improves sexual health and wellness by measuring your pelvic walls while you are having an orgasm. The data helps women learn more about their bodies and feel comfortable talking about sex. Think of it as a fitness tracker for female pleasure.
Added bonus: Studies and awareness surrounding female sexuality are severely lacking, and Lee and Lioness are helping to solve that.
Lioness partnered with the Center for Genital Health and Education on the world’s largest physiological data set on sexual behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic that asks “How has the COVID-19 pandemic changed our sex lives?” It’s also the world’s largest study of data collected from inside the bedroom, rather than in a lab.
On this episode of SheVentures, discover the roadblocks to advertising a sex-tech company — even if it’s for health — how women can take charge of their sexual health and pleasure, and how we can all help to destigmatize female sexuality.