Crystal Etienne
CEO and Founder, Ruby Love
Meet Crystal Etienne, the Black Female Founder of a $25M Company – Built In Just 5 Years
Crystal Etienne, founder and CEO of Ruby Love, is making impressive strides in the female tech industry, including recently securing the fourth largest round of funding in history for a company founded by a black woman.
Crystal is a wife, businesswoman, and mother to two amazing kids. Like so many of us, she juggles countless things in a single day. She’s also a woman who gets her period once a month and deals with occasional incontinence. In August 2015, after helping her daughter navigate the ups and downs of her first period and disappointed with the lack of options to provide her, Crystal decided enough was enough.
Recognizing that the hygiene and personal care industry needed safer, healthier and easier options for individuals of all ages and genders, Crystal set out to effectively address common questions: Why settle for uncomfortable products that were designed decades ago and fail us constantly? Why give young girls objects often riddled with chemicals to insert into their bodies? Why stress over the embarrassment and shame of leaks and stained clothes and sheets? And why not wear white with confidence, race in a swim meet, or sit through hours-long board meetings without worrying?
As a type-A perfectionist, Crystal spent years testing hundreds of prototypes, tweaking designs, and being her own best guinea pig to perfect the exact equation of design, technology, fit, and maximum protection behind each product. She successfully bootstrapped to launch PantyProp, now known as Ruby Love, on December 5, 2015. Since its founding in 2015, Crystal increased the company’s sales from $300,000 following its first year to over $10 million in sales in its third year, with product collections now including period underwear, period kits, period swimwear, period activewear, period loungewear, double sided pads, and incontinence boxer briefs with new product launches planned for 2020. In her latest success, Crystal secured a $15 million deal with The Craftory as part of the brand’s Series A funding in July 2019.
Crystal rebranded her company as Ruby Love on June 5, 2019. “Ruby” denotes a woman’s period, a timeless gem symbolizing health and growth, while “Love” represents the company’s commitment to continue to deliver the highest level of care. Together, Ruby Love brings to life the brand’s supportive, unifying message that periods should never stop women from doing, being and going. Crystal seeks to continue revolutionizing the Femtech industry and being an inspiration for other black women, especially those looking to launch their own business. She believes that anyone can make their dreams come true after setting their mind to it!
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