It’s been a superb 2 days in Munich at the office overlooking the alps of Essity – one of the world’s leading health and hygiene companies 🇸🇪.  Beyond the stunning views, it was very powerful and poignant to get a deep dive into how a $15B+ revenue company truly thinks about and integrates innovation. Some thoughts:

💥 Breaking Taboos with Courage💥
It was deeply meaningful to meet the people behind one of the most groundbreaking campaigns I’ve ever seen: Essity’s Blood Normal.  Back when we were solely focused on the consumer Tampliner® application of our technology, that campaign set the gold standard: bold, unapologetic, and necessary. Even now, the original ad still gives me inspired chills.  Such a powerful reminder of how impactful it is when companies choose to lead with courage.

💥 Not Just Talking the Talk on Women’s Health💥
It was genuinely inspiring to see Essity move beyond lip service when it comes to women’s health and menopause. Their efforts go far beyond traditional late-stage M&A- including strategic collaborations with startups, and to Essity’s commitment and investment with Issviva, their creation of an independent in-house menopause startup.

💥 Learning from the Professionals 💥
Spending time with Essity experts and senior leaders was so insightful. There were too many takeaways to list, but all the learnings lead to one big reminder: startups don’t own the monopoly on speed, disruption, or collaborative culture. These two days showed how much we can learn from each other, and how innovation thrives in unexpected places.