Shutting Down Stigma – How Marlow is Revolutionizing Period Care
Alongside her founding team, Nadia Ladak, Co-Founder and CEO of Marlow, was inspired to start the revolutionary period care company when they became frustrated with the lack of solutions available to athletic women who struggled to use tampons.
Nadia explains that “Tampons were very uncomfortable to use but we needed them to maintain our active on-the-go lifestyles while swimming and wearing our leotards when dancing. One day, I went to the doctor, desperate to find a solution, only to be told to ‘spit’ on my tampon to make it easier to use. In a world with constant technological innovation, I couldn’t believe that the feminine hygiene industry had stayed stagnant for decades. After learning that I was not the only one who experienced this problem and that in fact, one in three women experience vaginal dryness, I was inspired to start Marlow, the first-ever lubricated tampon for smoother and easier insertion.”
Beyond its innovative product, Marlow has also been building an inclusive community and leading a powerful movement around period care – reducing the stigma around periods and “empowering a generation of menstruators to get off of autopilot and to not be held back by the discomfort and pain they experience on their period.”
Facing challenges
When Nadia was starting her business in her final year of university, she didn’t have a professional network or any previous experience launching a business, and had difficulty raising the capital that was needed to grow.
As she explains, “Most of the investors we spoke to were men who didn’t understand the problem we were trying to solve. Many of them had never even seen a tampon before. It was very difficult to try to raise capital to fund the growth of our business when the investors we were speaking to didn’t believe in our product or mission.”
However, with the help of wonderfully supportive mentors, Nadia and the Marlow team were able to overcome the hurdles that stood in their way. They have since raised $1 million to grow their business.
What success looks like
To Nadia, success is defined by the impact she’s having on the world. One of her favourite parts is connecting with the Marlow community and hearing the feedback they have to share. A particular review from a community member sticks with her:
“I just wanted to say thank you because you make me feel so normal. I have felt so insecure and so broken for having so much pain with tampons. It helps so much knowing that I’m not alone. The fact that my problems are acknowledged and seen is so wonderful.”
In Nadia’s words, “Reading comments like this has been so inspiring and validating. [They show] that we’re truly making a difference for menstruators everywhere. Not only with our product but with our viral educational content that breaks down taboo topics and questions related to our bodies.”
In fact, Marlow has become a go-to resource in the period care space. The company’s creative content has made waves on TikTok, where it now has more than 100 million views and 8 million likes.
The company is also celebrating the launch of a new product that helps young people acclimate to the many changes that are introduced by your first period. Its First Period Kit includes tampons and lubricant and a period survival guide–which covers everything from period symptoms and the reason they happen, to step-by-step instructions that make it much less intimidating to use tampons for the first time.
What’s next
The Marlow team aims to make periods easier for everyone, and wants to ensure that no menstruator is held back from actively participating in their lives–no matter what time of the month it is.
To achieve this, Marlow wants to continue to grow the educational content that’s been so valuable to its community and be a thought leader that pushes the boundaries of product innovation.
As Nadia puts it, “Marlow will be a household name in the period care space and a ‘big sister’ to millions of young menstruators around the world. We want to empower them with knowledge and educational resources so that they can take charge of their menstrual health.”
Understanding that innovation is championed in positive workplaces, Marlow aims to be a sought-out place to work that’s driven by three key values: community, environmental sustainability, and diversity and inclusion.
On a personal level, Nadia says, “I’m also motivated to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders and advocate for the policies and resources that they require. My parents immigrated to this country and their only hope was for me to have a stable corporate job. I never even considered entrepreneurship as a viable career path. Now I’m motivated to pave the way for young women and people of colour so that they can consider this as a potential path. I’m a member of the G20 Young Entrepreneur Alliance where I work on international entrepreneurship policy. I’m also a part of Startup Canada's Women Advocacy Network, where I speak with government leaders to advocate for women entrepreneurs.”
Her advice
“Don’t be afraid to throw something at the wall and see what sticks. As a startup, one of our biggest advantages is our ability to move with speed. You need to get comfortable launching ideas quickly, collecting feedback, and iterating based on that feedback. You may launch things that are not perfect and you’ll likely make mistakes several times throughout this process–but that’s also the exciting part about entrepreneurship! You learn so much in a short period of time about all aspects of business and leadership.”