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CupHub

We strive to end period poverty by breaking taboos and raising awareness!

Sophie Haccou
TU Delft
Graduating on the Go-to-Market Strategy for CupHub for the Masters' Strategic Product Design.

Over het initiatief / About the initiative

CupHub

In welke fase zit jouw initiatief? / In what stage is your initiative?

Uitgewerkt conceptfase

Heb je jouw initiatief al gevalideerd? / Did you validate your initiative?

We currently have 77 people on the waitinglist to participate in our pilot.

Meer informatie over jouw initiatief / More info about your initiative

CupHub introduces Casey: a convenient and sustainable on-the-go menstrual cup cleaner for stress-free use, anywhere, anytime. CupHub strives to end period poverty in a sustainable way!
Menstrual cups are already rising in popularity, because it is a reusable alternative as it is a more sustainable, cheaper and better for your body. However, the cup faces problems with the usability: the cup needs to be rinsed with water every 8-12 hours, which is hard when there is no sink in the toiletstall (as in public restrooms). This is the biggest obstacle to switch for menstruators who don’t use a cup. Casey is the missing piece to adopt the menstrual cup on a large scale in the world! Obting for a world where period poverty no longer exists and is also sustainable as well!
Period poverty is caused by a lack of product accessibility as well as a lack of education. We picked our name because we aim to create a hub for menstrual information, sharing menstruators’ experiences to help other menstruators, and goods to break taboos, raise awareness, and improve access to essential period products.
We strive to have a positive impact on the lives of others and contribute to a world where no one has to worry about basic needs during their menstrual period. Casey(and more products in the future) help contribute to the mission of a world free of period poverty. With CupHub we support the broader Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 1 (End poverty in all its forms everywhere), SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).

Wat is er anders/nieuw aan jouw idee/oplossing t.o.v. bestaande oplossingen? / What is different/new about your idea/solution compared to existing solutions??

Clean your menstrual cup anywhere, anytime!

Casey, our innovative on-the-go menstrual cup cleaner, offers a convenient and sustainable solution for maintaining menstrual hygiene.

Addressing the challenge of hygiene in public spaces, where private sinks may be scarce, Casey enhances cleanliness and convenience.

It solves the four largest issues of the menstrual cup: rinsing in public spaces, sterilising the cup before and after every cycle, taking it with you on the go and storing it in between uses. In this Casey is unique and it is the only portable cup cleaner because it is airtight and watertight. This ensures that no blood or other fluids will spill in your bag while carrying the cleaner. Competitors have a different product for every problem, which contributes to the high costs of menstruation. Casey solves all the usability problems!

Furthermore, Casey is patent pending. The part that is patented improves the usability of Casey and also fulfills the technical desires of our target group, making sure Casey is what customers want. We filed our patent with patent lawyer Martijn Timmermans at V.O. Patents. 

Wat zijn jouw volgende stappen om het verder te ontwikkelen? / What are your next steps to develop the initiative?

We are now developing partnerships with the municipalities of Delft and Rotterdam to tackle period poverty in a structural manner. A cup in combination with Casey is a sustainable and durable solution as menstruators can use the products for 10-15 years and don’t rely on monthly supply and support.

Our next steps involve crowdfunding to raise enough money for the injection mold, whilst we are also actively working with Dutch product manufacturers to start the first pilot. After that, we will do our second and third pilot to improve on the user feedback and we will perform laboratory tests to certify the medical claims. After the summer we plan to finalise the product, find investors, order the first injection mould and officially enter the Dutch market by December.

Wat heb je nodig om (nog meer) impact te maken met dit initiatief? / What do you need to make (more) impact with this initiative?

For now we are focussing on tackling period poverty in the Netherlands(as 1 out of 10 menstruators can not afford period products and food at the same time). If we had all the money and time of the world, we only need to produce our product and get it distributed to the menstruators who need it.

But in the real world we need funding for several stages of the company. We would also need guidance in the areas where we are lacking, like finance and legal. We have two mentors who give medical advice and advice about how to build a startup.

Link naar meer informatie over dit initiatief / Link to more information about this initiative