The51 Ventures and WVL Capital announce investment into wearable technology intimates company, MINDD™
MINDD is a direct-to-consumer company that’s engineered MINDD™ Tech, a patent pending wire-free technology made specifically for women with a D cup bra or higher.
The51 Ventures, a financial feminist™ platform who launched their first venture fund in September, along with WVL Capital, have made an investment into US-based MINDD, an innovation-focused intimates company for women wearing D+ cup bras.
Founded by born and raised Calgarian and University of Calgary alumni, Helena Kaylin, MINDD is on a mission to help an $11 billion under-served market: women who wear a D+ cup. A leader in bra, sports-bra and performance apparel innovation and merchandising, Kaylin is no stranger to the importance of well-performing and well-fitting undergarments. In her former roles at Lululemon, Victoria’s Secret, Under Armour and Uniqlo, Kaylin saw a gap in the market—and a gap in her intimates drawer as well.
“I couldn’t find what I needed in a bra for my size,” said Kaylin, “and when two out of three women in the US are wearing a D cup or higher, I knew I wasn’t alone in this, so I decided to do something about it and founded MINDD.”
If you’re thinking MINDD is just another run-of-the-mill bra company, it’s not. The company’s products are built with MINDD™ Tech—a proprietary, patent-pending technology that addresses the pain points of the D+ wearer. With a focus on fit, comfort and simplicity, MINDD’s bras are a model of garment innovation and sustainability.
“Typical bras have anywhere from 44 to 52 components, but MINDD has four,” shared Kaylin, “we’re really focused on sustainability—most bras are the most un-environmentally friendly piece of clothing women own. Instead of using toxic foams and glues, we’re using sustainable yarns and water-based dyes.”
With their focus on innovation, sustainability and inclusivity, and being women-led, it was hard for The51 not to take notice of MINDD. WVL Capital, led by Dustin Wilkes, was also captivated by MINDD.
“After seeing my wife buy multiple MINDD bras for her friends, and tell me she would rather wear a MINDD bra than any other product on the market, I knew that this product was something special,” explains Wilkes.
“MINDD checks all of the boxes for The51’s investment criteria,” says Judy Fairburn, The51 Ventures’ Co-CEO and Fund Managing Partner, “Helena is creating a thoughtfully engineered, inclusive product that’s not only environmentally sustainable, but it’s serving a market that’s traditionally been ignored.”
Once The51 started talking with MINDD, they saw the company had great growth and investment potential and knew the brand would be well-received by their Limited Partners and investor members. As a direct-to-consumer brand, MINDD is built on the Shopify platform, which is one of the fastest growing eCommerce platforms now powering over 1 million merchants who are contributing $183 billion in global economic growth activity.
Through a $1M USD investment deal facilitated with the help of The51’s legal partner, Osler, The51 Ventures and WVL Capital are injecting growth capital in MINDD. With a hometown founder and a business model that marries science and technology with sustainability and inclusivity, not to mention significant market potential, MINDD is well positioned for success in 2021 and beyond.
To learn more about MINDD, visit minddbra.com.
For more information, please connect with The51 Ventures at: hello@the51.com.