Portland-based Wile, a supplements startup aimed at women over 40, raised $3 million from investors as it rolls out nine products in Whole Foods Markets.
Backers include Serena Ventures, the investment fund launched by tennis star Serena Williams, as well as angel investor Sara Bright and women’s health and wellness fund Coyote Ventures.
Wile was founded in 2020 by entrepreneurs Gwen Floyd, Corey Scholibo and Julie Kucinski and actress Judy Greer. The company makes a line of supplements, tinctures and drinks based on herbal and plant formulas designed to address perimenopause and other midlife hormonal shifts in women over 40.
“We've laid the groundwork and learned so much about our customers,” said Floyd, who is CEO of the startup. “This investment makes it possible for us to break through the silence and get her what she needs and wants, where she wants it.”
The company is targeting the 30 million women who are in midlife and often overlooked, according to a company statement.
The investment by Serena Ventures is one of the first since the $111 million early stage fund was announced, according to the company.
“It's astonishing that the market and medicine have ignored 50% of the population in the prime of their lives and, frankly, their earning power,” said Williams, managing partner at Serena Ventures, in a written statement. “It's rare to see an area of opportunity this vast, this underserved and this obvious. As an investor, we see this as a chance to support change in the culture with products women simply need.”
The company’s supplements are developed with naturopathic doctors and researchers. The products can be mixed and matched. Nine products are rolling out in Whole Foods Markets across the country this month.
