14 Sex Tech Founders Who Are Changing The Way The World Thinks About Sex

There's a lot more than just plastic dildos.

Sextech, like fintech, integrates an extremely lucrative industry and a natural human need with technology to bring it into the 21st century. We're talking about sex, baby!

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Future of Sex podcast host and sextech expert Bryony Cole defines sextech as “any technology designed to enhance sexuality.” Sexuality doesn't just center around the physical act itself but also encompasses well-being, health, personal safety, education, entertainment, and gender identity. In the past five years, many forces converged to open up a world of new possibilities for exploring desire and pleasure. The increase in research on matters of sex led by trailblazing female researchers means we have a better understanding of what makes us tick than ever before. The #MeToo movement and rise in the acceptance of female sexuality have opened up new spaces for thinking and healing.

As age-old stigmas are being broken down, technologies spanning digital platforms, remote-controlled sex toys for a range of abilities and needs, and AI are popping up left and right. And in these exciting times, as more and more women and BIPOC tech founders are crossing one of the greatest taboos of modern society, they are disrupting the technology world and breaking barriers through pleasurable products that stem from a diverse range of perspectives. 

Female and BIPOC founders are woefully underrepresented in the technology sector, and even more so when it comes to representations of sexuality. Luckily, the women on this list (and many more!) are bringing us closer and closer to closing that gap. So, without further ado, here are some female and BIPOC founders taking sexuality and technology to higher (ahem) heights.

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1. Frances Tang of Awkward Essentials

Frances Tang

Frances Tang founded Awkward Essentials to address exactly what the name implies — for that awkward moment after a dude comes in you and you need to make sure it's not messing with your female pH. Who wants to crab-walk to the bathroom and possibly queef while pushing semen out of their vagina? Only an inspired woman could invent and produce such an essential product such as the "cum sponge," aka the brand's popular product: the dripstick. Branded as the "world's first after-sex clean-up sponge made to soak up excess fluid from the vaginal canal," it's definitely a conversation starter. And a conversation we are looking forward to having more of! 

2. Glenise Kinard-Moore of SkiiMoo Tech

Lavish Binns

SkiiMoo Tech caters to the unique needs of the LGBTQ+ community. Founder Glenise Kinard-Moore initially created the VDOM, an app-connected patent-pending wearable vibrating device to serve her and her partner, before realizing that this product would be a great fit for individuals who suffer from erectile dysfunction as well as individuals with certain physical disabilities. The mission of SkiiMoo Tech, a research, science, technology, and engineering firm, is: "To create tech-based products that alter, change, and/or upgrade human lives in the most positive ways imaginable." We fucking love that.

3. Alexandra Fine of Dame Products

dame/portrait madame

Founded in 2014 by MIT engineer Janet Lieberman and sexologist Alexandra Fine, Dame Products is dedicated to designing innovative products with input from real women via Dame Labs, a collective of "real women" product testers. From the Aer, a suction toy that uses air pulses for delicate stimulation, to the Eva II, a hands-free couples' vibrator that stays in place while playing, Dame creates aesthetic, intuitive toys and accessories for solo and couples' intimate time.

4. Anna Lee of Lioness

Henry Wu

Sexual wellness company Lioness built the world's first (and only) biofeedback vibrator that collects data on orgasm and arousal from your own body. Through measuring involuntary pelvic floor muscle movements while in use, users can visually track how various factors like mood, diet, sleep, and medications impact their sexuality. Korean American founder Anna Lee grew up in an immigrant Korean household where there was zero talk of sex or sexuality, which is why the mission behind Lioness is to answer questions around female pleasure and natural functions rarely discussed in the medical community. 

Lioness also boasts the world's largest data set of female physiology during arousal and orgasm and bedroom-tested data on sexual response and orgasm. Pretty dang cool, huh?

5. Taylor Sparks of Organic Loven

Tarik Sparks

Organic Loven is one of the largest Black-owned online intimacy shops with a focus on eco-friendly, organic intimate body products. Offering a wide array of products and services, from subscription boxes of body-safe sex toys and sex-positive books, to erotic seminars with founder and self-proclaimed "sex goddess" Taylor Sparks, Organic Loven is your one-stop shop for sexy intimacy. All of their toys are made from non-porous, body-safe materials, any liquid products and condoms are eco-friendly and chemical-free, and any products labeled "organic" are Certified Organic.

6. Lora Haddock DiCarlo of Lora DiCarlo

Lora DiCarlo

Woman-run startup Lora DiCarlo integrates research and technology with female sexuality to disrupt social perceptions in the technology world. Founder Lora Haddock DiCarlo developed its premier device, Osé, in 2017 in partnership with Oregon State University's Robotics and Engineering program. The organization won a Robotics Innovation Award from the Consumer Electronics Show in 2018, but CES took back the award a month later due to the nature of the product. After being called out on their long history of sexism, CES recognized their error and gave the award back in 2019, changing their policies to include sextech in their Health and Wellness exhibitor category. 

The company has since launched 11 new products with 13 pending patents, and actor, model, and activist Cara Delevingne joined Lora DiCarlo as a co-owner in 2020 to continue combating systemic stigmatization and promoting education with DiCarlo and her team. 

7. Cindy Gallop of MakeLoveNotPorn

Kevin Abosch

Cindy Gallop launched MakeLoveNotPorn at TED in 2009 (where she went viral for being the first TED speaker to say "come on my face" six times), and transformed the idea into the world's first human-curated, user-generated social sex video-sharing platform in 2013. MakeLoveNotPorn is committed to rewriting the language of adult content and promoting communication, consent, and healthy sexual behavior through allowing users to share their sexual experiences like you would share an update on Facebook or Instagram. As an older woman of color, Gallop is breaking barriers by destigmatizing sex, disrupting the tech world, and helping people learn about healthy real-world sexual relationships. 

8. Patricia López of Myhixel

MYHIXEL

As the numerous examples we've listed illustrate, the tech industry is obviously a male-dominated space. Even more rare are female founders innovating the realm of male sextech and sexual health. Founder and CEO of Myhixel Patricia López saw there were almost no solutions on the market addressing male sexual concerns, and decided to give men's wellness some attention with a new brand that brings together tech, health, and education. 

Myhixel takes users through a cognitive behavioral therapy program with a gamified app, helping users learn more about their own bodies and establish ejaculatory control without resorting to pills. The brand is FDA-registered as a developer of health products and also certified as a health-based manufacturing company by the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS). With products being sold in 42 countries, thousands of clients using its app, and research being published in prestigious scientific journals like The Journal of Sexual Medicine, Myhixel is blazing the way as a pioneering brand in men's health.

9. Lilly Sparks of Afterglow

Lola Saba

Lilly Sparks, founder and CEO of Afterglow, started the ethical porn platform after finding that most porn on the internet was not the kind of sex she wanted to have. The subscription-based platform pairs realistic sex with wellness exercises and guided masturbation to inspire enjoyable sex. All Afterglow original films center on the woman's pleasure and feature behind-the-scenes interviews. After exceeding its goal in the first round of funding on Indiegogo in 2020, Afterglow took off with more than 500 paid users within two weeks. 

10. Suki Dunham of OhMiBod

Matt Berkowitz

Husband-and-wife team Brian and Suki Dunham pioneered a teledildonics revolution with OhMiBod, a dual-sensory vibrating experience that allows the user to sync their vibrating device to an MP3 player. Following the success of their first music-synced vibrator, OhMiBod continued to develop award-winning product lines like BlueMotion, a line of Bluetooth-enabled vibrators, and Club Vibe, remote-controlled wearable panty vibrators. 

One of their most recent products, the Lovelife Rev, is a personal massager engineered for adults with dexterity challenges so that people of all ages can meet their intimate needs. 

11. Ti Chang of Crave

Catalina Kulczar-Marin

Award-winning industrial designer Ti Chang founded Incoqnito, an intimate accessory line wearable as fashionable jewelry in 2008, which evolved into Crave after meeting co-founder Michael Topolovac in 2010. Crave is committed to bringing modern sex toys into the mainstream through discreet, avant-garde design and an elevated buying experience, creating gorgeous jewelry that helps to destigmatize sex. 

12. Heather Morrison of Bump'n

Heather Morrison

Although 15% of the global population lives with some form of disability, their sexual needs are still little-discussed and clouded with taboo. Heather Morrison, co-founder and CEO of Bump'n, aims to dispel such taboos and make pleasure more accessible with the first line of sex toys specifically designed for those with hand limitations. According to their community survey, over 50% of physically disabled people struggle to achieve solo sexual pleasure, with over 90% of those surveyed desiring products to meet their needs. Get Bump'n is currently working on launching the "Joystick," a hands-free sex toy, and hopes to continue designing products catering to a full range of disabilities. 

13. Gina Gutierrez and Faye Keegan of Dipsea

Gina Gutierrez & Faye Keegan

Friends and co-founders Gina Gutierrez and Faye Keegan started Dipsea as a healthy, safe space for women to enjoy audio erotica. The subscription-based platform and story studio creates audio content ranging from full erotic stories to guides on how to deepen your sexual practice and expand your sexual relationships. Every story on the app is meticulously crafted by well-paid writers and voice actors to draw a blueprint for unique scenarios the listener can follow along with according to their individual tastes. With over 500 auditory experiences, Dipsea aims to be a place "for all perspectives, preferences, and genders" to explore their sexuality. 

14. Emily Sauer of Ohnut

Emily Sauer

For many women, sex can be painful. This experience is what informed Emily Sauer to found Ohnut, an adjustable ring for more comfortable sex. The O-shaped, cushy buffer allows users to customize penetration so the couple can explore what feels best for them. The rings can be added and removed during any time and in any position, and are designed to feel pleasurable for both the penis and the person being penetrated so they can adjust to the optimal angle and penetration level.

So, there you have it! Which product are you most excited about? BTW, these are just a few! The future of sextech is huge and more diverse than ever. Let us know about any sextech founders you're excited about right now!