Aunt Flow, a company on a mission to change the world one cycle at a time, announced that JLL Spark is joining the Period Party. The company  raised an $8.5 million Series A financing round to support the its plans to make free, 100% organic cotton period products available in every public restroom. Led by JLL Spark, the global venture arm of leading global real estate and investment management services firm JLL, the investment will expand public access to period products. Kitty Sullivan, a principal with JLL Spark, will join Aunt Flow’s board of directors.
 
Since 2016, Aunt Flow has been committed to ensuring everyone has access to menstrual products. Chief Estrogen Officer (CEO) Claire Coder started the Columbus, OH-based company when she was only 18 years old after getting her period in public without any period products available. The company helped create the B2B industry category, and today, Aunt Flow leads the menstrual movement with 100% organic cotton period products as well as an innovative, patented free-vend menstrual product dispenser that is stocked in the bathrooms of partners including Apple, Google, Princeton University and Netflix.

“Real estate owners are prioritizing the tenant experience today more than ever, and Aunt Flow’s mission to increase public access to period products will significantly improve that experience for women,” says Sullivan. “We’re excited to partner with Aunt Flow and help expand its footprint across workplaces, venues and facilities.”

The Series A investment comes at a time of increased attention to funding for women-led companies, as it greatly trails investments for companies started by men. In 2021, companies founded by women secured only 2% of the total capital invested in U.S. venture-based startups, according to PitchBook.

With the funding, Aunt Flow will be able to expand its customer base nationally, grow advocacy efforts, donate more than a million products to grassroots partners and introduce new products and more sustainable packaging. Additional investors including Amboy Street Ventures, Harlem Capital, CityRock Ventures and Precursor Ventures also joined the round led by JLL Spark.

The newest investment round adds to Aunt Flow’s continued success. In 2021 alone, the company doubled its employee headcount, added 300 new customers, supplied more than 3000 bathroom dispensers, stocked bathrooms with 5.8 million period products and donated over 1.6 million period products for menstruators in need.

“How people think about periods is changing,” says Coder. “Aunt Flow is proud to be at the forefront of the menstrual movement, with a singular focus on making period products accessible to everyone. With JLL Spark as a partner, we’ll be able to serve our communities on a much greater scale. If toilet paper is offered for free in public restrooms, tampons and pads should be too.”

Demand for Aunt Flow’s service and products is expected to grow exponentially as more U.S. states and cities propose and pass legislation requiring businesses and institutions to provide free access to period products in public restrooms. In 2021, 37 states introduced period equity bills, with Ann Arbor, Michigan becoming the first U.S. city to require free period products in all public restrooms.