The sexual wellness category has finally shaken its taboo status, evolving from a niche category to a mainstream opportunity. Category innovators like Lora DiCarlo gained the attention of investors and retailers. Lora DiCarlo was one of the brands capitalizing on the category tipping point, but it appears the brand may be shutting down, according to reporting by Beauty Independent. BeautyMatter reached out to Lora DiCarlo for comment, with no response.
WHO: Lora Haddock founded gender-inclusive, sex-positive company Lora DiCarlo in 2017 with the aim of engineering pleasure-tech products that will revolutionize female sexual health. The first device, called Osé, was developed in partnership with Oregon State University's Robotics & Engineering Lab and launched in the second quarter of 2019. The device has approximately 250 parts, demonstrating the complexity of the design and innovation of the product.
DETAILS:
- The business has five patents developed in partnership with Oregon State University, a tier-one research university, and the #4 Robotics Lab in the United States. An additional three patents were developed exclusively by Lora DiCarlo.
- In January 2021, Lora DiCarlo secured $3.5MM in funding led by Republic Labs, with participation from Romulus Capital, VU fund, River Bend Capital, Gaingels, and actress Cara Delevingne. At the time of the funding, the business was reported to have $7.5 million in sales.
- After being banned from exhibiting at CES 2019, Lora DiCarlo won two Innovation Awards in Robotics at CES 2020 and became one of the most recognized robotics consumer product companies in the history of CES.
- In November 2020, Cara Delevingne joined Lora DiCarlo as a co-owner and creative advisor.
- In 2018 the brand raised $1.1 million from the Oregon Opportunity Zone Limited Partnership (OOZLP), followed by another $2 million round in 2019, also led by OOZLP and with participation by Kado Family Inc. and other investors.
