Amboy Street Ventures is excited to announce its latest investment in Playground, Christina Aguilera’s sexual wellness company. Playground seeks to empower women to enhance their intimate experiences, at every stage of life, with a line of FDA approved personal lubricants. We invested in this oversubscribed round alongside notable co-investors including Palm Tree Crew, Alex Cooper - host of the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, and Emily Morse - host of the “Sex with Emily” podcast.
Playground is committed to de-stigmatizing conversations surrounding sex and pleasure and empowering consumers to make informed decisions about their sexual health. With a line of FDA-approved lubricants, extensively tested for vaginal safety, Playground will meet consumers where they are, no matter what stage of life. In an industry dominated by poorly branded, male-forward products like KY-Jelly and Trojan, Playground is a shining light, creating a brand more aligned with the female consumer, the primary purchaser of personal lubricants.
The notion that lube elevates pleasure during sex is not just a marketing tactic; it's a substantiated claim backed by research. Over 65% of women report having used personal lubricants during sex, the primary reason being that it helps make sex more comfortable, fun and pleasurable. There are a number of factors that contribute to why women lack pleasure during sex, whether it's related to age (vaginal atrophy as a result of menopause), circumstance (postpartum period), or sensitivity (recurrent UTIs etc), integrating a lubricant can drastically improve pleasure.
Catherine Magee, CEO of Playground, and the founding team including celebrity and sex positivity champion, Christina Aguilera, bring a diverse combination of skills and expertise across the consumer beauty and sexual wellness industries. With this raise, Playground will launch nationally into Target, invest in digital acquisition strategies by growing their social content, and further develop their product pipeline.
“Playground is speaking to the female consumer, who is the primer buyer of lubricant, in a way that legacy brands have not been able to achieve. By securing FDA approval and championing a health-centric approach to pleasure, Playground is leading a vital transformation within the industry.” said Carli Sapir, Founding Partner of Amboy Street Ventures. "With our shared goal of lifting stigma surrounding women’s health and ushering forward a new world of inclusive wellbeing, there are incredible synergies to our partnership.”
Playground is one of the latest to join ASV’s growing portfolio of brands pioneering women’s health and sexual health solutions alongside Hey Jane, leading telehealth abortion provider, Contraline, the maker of male birth control and Evvy, vaginal microbime testing and care. See the full portfolio here.
