Organic Tampon Brand Lola Raises $7M With Help From Lena Dunham

NEW YORK, United States —  LOLA, a US-based tampon subscription service using 100 percent cotton tampons, has raised $7 million in a series A funding round led by Spark Capital.

With additional investment from venture capital firm Lerer Hippeau, early stage investment funds Brand Foundry, BoxGroup and BBG Ventures, as well as actress Lena Dunham, the startup plans to use the funding to develop and introduce new products, and continue to grow the brand’s active customer base.

“I invested in Lola because I believe their product is removing stigma from women’s reproductive processes while also giving us healthy, stylish options for taking care of period business,” Dunham said in a statement.

“As an advocate for women’s health and a lover of female-run businesses, this relationship is just a natural fit,” she added.

Since launching two years ago, LOLA has raised a total of $11.2 million. Earlier this year the entrepreneurial startup closed a $3 million seed round led by Lerer Hippeau Ventures, whose portfolio includes Birchbox, Soylent and Hungry Root.

With a goal to provide women with an organic tampon and a brand that is completely transparent about the ingredients in its products, co-founders Alexandra Friedman and Jordana Kier were pioneers in a category that is now undergoing a transformation. Leveraging the renewed interest in feminine care, fellow startups including Cora, Flex and Love Wellness are just a few of the brands that since joined them on their crusade to disrupt the market.

“To us, the introduction of new feminine care startups to market further validates the importance of not only all-natural options but also knowing what’s in your products and having all the information to make conscious decisions,” co-founder Jordana Kier told TechCrunch earlier this year when asked about competition.

“We don’t want to just make a splash with controversial period talk; we want to drive this cultural shift,” she added.

With a view to continue as a brand that provides feminine health and hygiene products for women throughout their lives, earlier this month, LOLA introduced pads and liners to its portfolio of products. Following the latest round of funding Friedman hopes to be able

to deliver even more products and experiences to new and existing customers.

“Since launching LOLA over a year ago, we’ve seen a huge shift in the national dialogue around transparency in feminine care, as well as destigmatizing the topic of menstruation,” explained Friedman.

LOLA’s goal is to continue that conversation as the go-to brand for women’s wellness and health care.