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#3 Penile implants, funding news, sextech is a roller coaster...

🎢 are you ready to ride?

Author

Bryony Cole
August 14, 2023

We’re back.

Bienvenidos to Edition #3 of Unofficial Space - your go-to sextech industry newsletter.

The past week in sextech has been equal parts concerning 🤔 and uplifting 🎢 

Reader’s choice on this one: you can go deep on the troubling penile implant industry or clink glasses and celebrate the incredible women receiving funding!

What’s inside:

  • 🤯 Big tech is stifling sextech innovation

  • 🍆 Penile implants are leaving men disfigured and depressed

  • 🫠 Big Yikes. Lovense made a big oopsy on Twitter/X this week. What can we learn?

  • 💰️ Funding for Center for Intimacy Justice and pelvic pain start-up Hale

    + Plus : round-up of this week’s 🔥 jobs and events

Let’s go…

This week in sextech

1. Big Tech is stifling sextech innovation 🤯 

I know, I know, we already know, but this long format read is an excellent breakdown on why the potential of sextech is so… ‘decidedly catered to straight men with anime-porn-informed taste’.

Read on 👇️ 

Cockblocked and Reported

Why can't androids have wet dreams? Virtual sex is in a sorry state, shaped by tech overlords intent on keeping us pure.

2. Penuma rebrands to Himplant 🍆

Penile implants, like most body augmentation, are about boosting confidence.

The launch of the Himplant, mostly a rebrand of the Penuma implant, was covered in Hype magazine this week. 🛑 Do not be fooled by the title - and the content!

Or to be honest, do not be bothered reading the article.

Himplant and it’s founder are most definitely not ‘revolutionising men’s health’.

If you’re up for it, follow this detailed, fascinating (and at some moments hold your breath) investigation by ProPublica and The New Yorker about penile implants and get the real juice on how much devastation this industry causes.

Inside the Secretive World of Penile Enlargement

How a doctor’s two-decade quest to grow the penis is leaving some men desperate and disfigured.

3. Lovense social media fail 🫠 

Last week the sextech corner of Twitter/X was lit up with an epic fail from Lovense. If you missed it, Stu Nugent breaks down the whole messy affair.

Lovense, Sex Toy Marketing, and How Not To Fuck Your Social Media Up

4. Funding news 💰️ 

Berlin-based start-up raises €350,000 to ‘redefine’ women’s pain management 💰️ 

Hale, a Berlin-based start-up focusing on women’s pelvic pain management, has announced a successful €350,000 pre-seed funding round.

Center for Intimacy Justice receives funding 💰️ 

Meghan Markle & Prince Harry (Archewell Foundation), Melinda French Gates (Pivotal Ventures), Omidyar Network, and 14 institutional funders are newly funding the Center for Intimacy Justice through the Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund.

🎪 Events

August 22: Virtual (free), Preserving Online Freedom, part of a year-long series on the Censorship of Sexual Freedom by Woodhull Freedom Foundation

August 31: Brisbane, Something Tech (👋 I’ll be speaking at this one!) 

October 1-3: Reimagine Sexuality Summit (👋 I’ll be speaking at this one!) 

October 1-22: Sydney, SXSW Sydney (👋 I’ll be speaking at this one!) 

October 18, New York: Sextech Mixer NYC Tech Week

💼 Jobs

🇬🇧 Marketing Manager, WeAreX

WeAreX is seeking a talented and experienced marketing manager to join our passionate and highly creative team. We are seeking a hands-on and proactive person to help us grow our App and quite literally change the world. You will elevate our brand in the UK and then help roll out to the USA.

🇮🇳 Influencer Affiliate Marketing Manager, Hiloramart

You will play a pivotal role in building and maintaining our affiliate program tailored to influencers within the sexual wellness industry. Your primary focus will be to identify, engage, and manage influencers who align with our brand values and objectives.

 🇳🇱 Treasurer of the board, CHOICE for Youth & Sexuality

The Board is the governing body of CHOICE and has the final responsibility over the organization, its development and continuity and monitoring of the long-term strategic plan. The board shares the vision of CHOICE and carries this vision out, both externally and internally.

🇪🇺 New Business Development Lead, Triggerise

Triggerise believes in a world where all youth have the power to choose where, when, and how they meet their sexual reproductive health needs. Our digital platform delivers scalable and verifiable sexual reproductive health

🇨🇦 Sr. Product Manager, hims & hers

Hims and Hers is looking for an experienced Senior Product Manager to work cross-functionally across product, engineering, design, marketing and others to define and execute a product roadmap for a key growth initiative.

🇦🇺 Clinic Receptionist, Jean Hailes for Women’s Health

Jean Hailes for Women's Health is a national, not-for-profit organisation dedicated to improving women's health throughout the various stages of their lives. We combine research, clinical care, policy work and practical education for women and health professionals.

🇺🇸 LGBT Outreach and Engagement Coordinator, Planned Parenthood

The LGBT Outreach and Engagement Coordinator performs outreach, education and training related to LGBT services across 7 counties (Fulton, Montgomery, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Warren and Washington) in Region Two.

How did you like this week’s newsletter? 

Reply to this email and let me know. I read every single response!

Have a fantastic week and if you are digging the newsletter, send it to a friend for a gander!

Until next week,

Bryony

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