For Them Is On A Mission To Redefine Wellness For The Queer Community

LONDON, United Kingdom — For Them, a disruptive startup with the goal of redefining wellness for the queer community has launched backed by $2 million in pre-seed funding.

The game-changing brand, founded by entrepreneur Chloe Freeman after they became frustrated with not being able to find any wellness products that spoke to them or their peers, is debuting with two initial products for the queer community: a breathable binder and multi-use intimacy serum. The long-term vision is to create a pipeline of products that reflect the wellness needs and identities of non-binary people.

“I had this realisation that I just didn’t have underwear that made me feel good. My trans and non-binary friends would bind and I really tried to do that but every time I put a binder on I just really couldn’t breathe,” Freeman explained in an Instagram post.

“So we started with this one problem and then we went out into the community and just listened, and we realised that this was a huge issue for all queer and gender diverse folks stemming from this idea of being “well” day-to-day, and what does that really mean?” they added.

By addressing that gap Freeman hopes they can create a more holistic approach to care based on the idea that “queerness and gender diversity exists, and that as unique individuals we all have unique needs”. As part of the process, Freeman plans to shake up an industry and narrative that at present they say doesn’t speak to them or their experience.

And some heavy-hitting investors have also recognised the brand’s potential.

For Them’s recent investment round, led by Resolute Ventures, featured an impressive roster of over 10 individual investors including Toyin Ajayi, co-founder and president of Cityblock Health; Lindsay Ullman, co-founder of Umbrella; Ashley Mayer, former Glossier executive; and Jackie Rice, co-founder, Tribe AI — all of whom believe in Freeman’s vision.

In fact, according to Melanie Travis, Founder of swimwear company Andie Swim, her decision to invest in For Them was mostly based on Freeman, who she finds to be “a smart, remarkable person who is passionate about the purpose and the category,” she told TechCrunch.

“Sometimes founders come up against a brick wall, and you are looking at the founder’s ability to just bust through that brick wall, and I saw all of that in Chloe,” she added.

Consumers have also been quick to demonstrate their interest, with the brand’s chest binder generating an 800+ waitlist pre-launch.

Next up Freeman plans to continue working with the brand’s community to direct the products and services For Them launches next.

To facilitate that, the brand has set up an online community where its customers can talk to an expert, share their thoughts, and find connections — the ultimate goal is to help For Them create products that enable individuals to feel well day-to-day.

“My wife is a cis woman and she has all these [wellness products] targeted at her and she feels very served, and I just want to make sure that our community — those that don’t sit within the binary and feel a little bit more fluid from a gender and sexuality point of view — feel that eventually,” Freeman told InStyle.

“It’s not our job just to provide it, but to create a spark so that other companies pop up, too. Ultimately there’s more than enough space, there are more than enough customers that need help.”