The Munich sextech startup Beducated wants to improve its customers' love lives with online courses. Founding couple Mariah Freya and Phil Steinweber introduce their startup in our 7 questions.
Munich Startup: Who are you and what do you do? Please briefly introduce yourself and your services!
BeducatedWe're Mariah and Phil, a married couple in our thirties. Like many, we had a pretty disappointing love life due to our hectic lifestyles. Mariah became a sex coach, and not long after, we founded our company. With beducated.com, we bring more WOW between the sheets and help couples achieve a happier love life.
Beducated is essentially the Netflix of sex education. We offer online training on all sorts of techniques and practices related to your love life, from sensual massages to pelvic floor exercises to more raunchy stuff.
Munich Startup: But that's been around for a long time!
Beducated: Yes, you can learn these things offline, too, that's true. But the barriers to entry, like visiting a Berlin basement studio or flying to Bali for a tantra workshop, are quite high. Besides, you never know what to expect in a physical encounter and how boundaries will be handled.
That's why we're bringing this topic online. Our customers can stream the teaching content directly into their private environment—their bedrooms.
Sextech and sexual wellness are on the rise. Education and communication have the greatest impact, but both are often neglected. No piece of vibrating silicone can bring about such change as education.
Sextech is still stigmatized
Munich Startup: What has been your biggest challenge so far?
Beducated: Although we are all the product of sex, the topic is still stigmatized. We see this, for example, when we recruit new employees (we're hiring!).
The dependence on existing large platforms is also a problem. For example, Facebook, as an advertising platform, or the Apple App Store, have a box for "sexual content" in their terms and conditions. This means that the same restrictions apply to us as an educational platform as to pornography. We hope this will change as society becomes more open.
Munich Startup: Let’s get down to business: How is business going?
Beducated: It's actually really exciting! So far, 12,000 paying customers have signed up for our courses. This shows us that we're creating something people really want and are willing to pay for.
Based on this self-funded proof of concept, we recently closed a seed round and are pleased that the investors also believe in the potential of online training on sexual wellness. It's now up to us to demonstrate that we can scale and professionalize our product.
Beducated: “We have a really hot product”
Munich Startup: What does Munich mean to you?
Beducated: We're truly passionate about this city. Mariah moved to Munich at the age of 10. Phil, meanwhile, grew up in rural Bavaria. We spent our twenties traveling to other countries as digital nomads, and when it came to deciding where to settle down, we consciously chose Munich.
We think Munich is a great city for entrepreneurs and startups. Because space is scarce and prices are high, Munich forces you to work hard and achieve results quickly. There's no time to waste thinking about things; you have to deliver.
People always tell us that with our topic and B2C focus, we should be in Berlin. We respectfully reject this and show them photos of the Isar River and the mountains.
Munich Startup: How does your startup become the next unicorn? Or will we see you soon at Epic Fail Night?
Beducated: We're aware that, as with any startup, the statistical probabilities point toward an epic fail night. However, we still believe we have a really hot (haha!) product and are one of the first movers in a new market. Plus, the timing is great, and we have really smart employees and investors. And did we mention that our largest market is the US and our product is really easy to adapt to local needs? With those two facts, we at least have a chance of becoming a unicorn!
Munich Startup: Isar or English Garden?
Beducated: Isar! We used to live near the Isar and will always have this connection between the Isar and the evening. Nevertheless, who doesn't love the English Garden? We're grateful to have both.
