SoftBank Ventures Korea leads $2.1m round in US feminine wellness startup Rael

Photo: Rael.

By Juliet Shwe Gaung

May 16, 2018

SoftBank Ventures Korea, has led a $2.1 million investment in Rael, a US-based menstrual care startup, along with other investors including Thrive Market, an e-commerce platform for natural and organic products, the company announced in a release.

The company will use the proceeds to improve the product, expand its team and overseas footprint.

Rael was established in 2017 to solve the problem of of lack of healthy, comfortable and high-performing menstrual care products.

“After months of research and development, we conducted an initial test on Amazon. The response was overwhelming,” said Yanghee Paik, co-founder and CEO at Rael.

Paik was a former distributor at The Walt Disney Studios with a Harvard MBA. She started Rael with two female co-founders, Aness An, a journalist and bestselling author, and Binna Won, an architect-turned-art-director.

The California-based startup has previously raised seed financing from investors including Spigen, an Amazon top 5 seller, BAM Ventures, Strong Ventures, a seed fund based in California, and Primer, a startup accelerator in South Korea.

“For years, customers have been looking for an effective and affordable feminine care line that uses only clean ingredients. The Rael team has built a beautiful brand around exactly that,” said Nick Green, Founder and CEO at Thrive Market.

The brand has expanded its product line, including pads, panty liners, biodegradable tampons made with 100% certified organic cotton.

Period underwear, facial sheet masks, cleansing washes and wipes are also available on platforms of Amazon, other e-retailers as well as their own e-commerce site, GetRael.com. As of today, Rael’s products are available in UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan and South Korea.

“Aness, Binna and Yanghee are visionary leaders who value women’s personal development and happiness,” said Edward Chung, Principal at SoftBank Ventures Korea.

Also Read:

Asia Digest: Japan’s SBI Holding backs Templum; SoftBank Korea invests in Daangn

SoftBank Korea, HK’s CE Ventures back sports tech firm PlaySight’s Series C round

P2P lender Funding Societies raises $25m in Series B round led by SoftBank Korea

 

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Singapore Reporter/s

In Singapore, we are looking to double our reporting team by this year-end to comprehensively cover the fast-moving world of funded startups and VC, PE & M&A deals. We want reporters who can tell our readers what is really happening in these sectors and why it matters to markets, companies and consumers. The ability to write precisely and urgently is crucial for these roles. Ideal candidates must have to ability to work in a collaborative, dynamic, and fast-changing environment. We want our new hires to be digitally savvy and ready to experiment with new forms of storytelling. Most importantly, we are looking for hard-hitting reporters who work well in a team. Collaboration and collegiality are a must.

Following vacancies can be applied for (only in Singapore).

Following vacancies can be applied for (only in Singapore).   

  • A reporter to track companies/startups that have raised private capital, and have the potential to become unicorns. SEA currently has over 40 companies with a valuation of over $100 million and under $1 billion.
  • A reporter who can get behind the scenes and reveal how funding rounds are put together, or why they’ve failed to materialise. She/he in this role will largely focus on long-format stories. 
  • A journalist to track special situations funds, distressed debt and private credit (from the PE angle) across Asia.
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