Blog Post

E14. Emily Bendell, Bluebella - Raising Investment for a Business Pivot

#femaleinvestors #crowdfunding #femaleproduct #Crowdcube

£2.1m raised

Lingerie - not the typical career route for an Oxford PPE grad. Emily Bendell stood out from the crowd, took her degree and built an underwear business made for and by women.

Bluebella started out as a direct selling model backed by an all-female investor group plus match funding. Spotting potential elsewhere, Emily raised a crowdfund round
on a pivot while taking on the official 50 Shades of Grey license. Sound too much like hard work? Emily, now both a business mogul and a mother, has steered the business into international and profitable success. Doubling in growth every year, this is an enterprise that shows no signs of slowing down.

In this episode you’ll discover…

  • The highs and lows, ins and outs of raising capital when you’re pivoting a business
  • How hustling to find the right investor audience is crucial when you’re peddling a provocative, female focused product
  • Why we need to reframe the question of having a family to acknowledge the power of motherhood and the father’s place in the family

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