Valerie: The liquid supplement startup for perimenopausal women
Valerie is set to revolutionize the way women approach health during the stages of menopause. Olly Johnson, co-founder of Valerie, draws from both a career in health-focused retail and a deeply personal motivation for this venture.
Having launched in September, Valerie is set to revolutionize the way women approach health during the stages of menopause. Olly Johnson, co-founder, draws from both a career in health-focused retail and a deeply personal motivation for this venture. โValerie exists to empower women and to take back control of their health, specifically when theyโre going through the three stages of menopause,โ Johnson states. His motherโs experience inspired this path, as her struggles with symptoms like brain fog, poor sleep, and high anxiety were dismissed with a quick prescription of antidepressants. Unwilling to settle, she searched through Facebook groups, high-street brands, and eventually, self-treatment, which often led back to square one. โI guess [her] experience โฆ led me to do more research and figure out whether it was a common problem,โ he reflects.
From Sports Science to Retail Expertise
Johnsonโs background has equipped him well for his role in addressing this under-served market. A sports science graduate, he honed his marketing and growth strategy skills at well-known brands such as Myprotein, where he observed firsthand the rapid expansion of direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands. โMy version of โฆ a growth marketer is that retention is just as important,โ he explains, emphasizing the need for lasting customer relationships, a focus that he brings to Valerie. Johnson’s journey reflects both extensive experience and genuine passion, making him ideally suited to address the needs of women going through this life stage.
โWe want Valerie to be very kind of not only informative and educational โฆ but also really down-to-earth, and kind of straight-talking.โ
Valerieโs product, a liquid supplement, is designed specifically to stand out from existing solutions. โWe have not developed a pill or a capsule. Ours is a liquid format โฆ which gets into the bloodstream up to 46 times better than it would if it was in a capsule,โ Johnson says, describing their use of a liposomal formulation, a technique that ensures higher absorption rates and better efficacy. Current market offerings, he suggests, often lack effective solutions and cater minimally to women experiencing perimenopauseโa phase that, as Johnson describes, is under-recognized yet critical.
โValerieโs launch proposition is focusing on the perimenopause stage,โ Johnson asserts, positioning Valerie as a brand filling a void. He adds that many women in this phase โmight think theyโre burning out, they might think theyโre depressedโ due to a lack of knowledge about the symptoms. Valerie aims to bridge this gap by providing personalized options that acknowledge the unique journey each woman faces. Johnson is confident in Valerieโs differentiated approach and commitment to personalization, signaling that Valerie will eventually provide tailored options to address individual health needs.
The two-year research and development phase for Valerie involved rigorous testing and collaboration with experts. Initially, Johnson sketched a product formula, which was reviewed and refined by a naturopath specializing in womenโs hormone health. Johnson details, โShe snagged my formula, like, crossed out a few things, probably kept half of it, and then came up with her version.โ After collaborating with manufacturers, who optimized the formula for liposomal delivery, the product finally took shape as a science-backed, liquid supplement. The lengthy process, he explains, was crucial to ensure Valerieโs product stood out in both quality and effectiveness.
Building Community Through Social and Direct Engagement
Valerieโs launch strategy includes a strong emphasis on community, primarily through social media. โValerie is a person and hopefully kind of like an agony aunt โฆ that you can confide in and share what it is youโre exactly feeling,โ Johnson says, describing the brandโs persona as approachable and empathetic. Valerieโs target market largely resides on Instagram, with plans to create an exclusive forum moderated by experts for women to exchange experiences and find reliable information. Johnson explains, โThe vision is to bring everything under one roof into a forum thatโs moderated by experts so we can cut through the [misinformation] and make sure itโs sound.โ Valerieโs approach aims to foster a supportive environment for women, a contrast to the clinical or commercialized spaces of current health products.
โIf I could have started the fundraising campaign again, I probably would have lowered the valuation.”
In a competitive wellness market, Valerie stands out not just for its product format but for its emphasis on relationship-building through a DTC model. Johnson notes, โThe ability to own the data and build that relationship directly with the consumer โฆ and plug in a subscription modelโ is essential to Valerieโs business. Describing a subscription as a โmembership,โ Johnson sees this model as an opportunity to offer value beyond a simple discount, such as access to events with experts in womenโs health. This approach aligns well with his broader vision for Valerie: a DTC brand that prioritizes consumer engagement and long-term relationships.
Valerieโs product development process has been informed by a unique advisory board consisting of 200 women who helped guide the brandโs journey. Johnson refers to this group as their โunofficial advisory board,โ a team that provided โtens of thousands of data pointsโ through surveys, meetings, and interactions. This advisory board allowed Valerie to โco-create the brand and validate the proposition,โ Johnson states, acknowledging the critical role this feedback played in shaping both the product and its marketing.
The Challenge of Securing Investment
Despite its potential, launching Valerie has not been without its challenges. Johnson shares his experience with securing investment, noting, โI thought that I would be able to โฆ close [funding] pretty quickly, and that has just not been the case.โ Valerieโs initial funding target is ยฃ500,000, a goal Johnson is steadily approaching as launch nears. Reflecting on the lessons learned, he advises, โIf I could have started the fundraising campaign again, I probably would have lowered the valuation โฆ to give us enough runway to start running a bit quicker.โ This humility and willingness to learn from the process demonstrate Johnsonโs commitment to ensuring Valerieโs success.
As the conversation draws to a close, Johnson shares the motivations driving Valerieโs mission, pointing to the โstaggeringโ lack of funding and research in womenโs health. โThe numbers โฆ are actually quite staggering. The lack of funding and research that has gone into womenโs health over the years,โ he says. Addressing this gap through Valerie, Johnson hopes to empower women by providing them with effective tools to navigate a critical stage in their lives. He asserts, โItโs time that we did better,โ urging for increased support from investors, policymakers, and society at large.
In the crowded field of wellness brands, Valerieโs approach to perimenopausal health is both innovative and purpose-driven, combining cutting-edge science with a focus on community and genuine support. As Valerie prepares for its official launch, Johnson is optimistic that it will resonate with women seeking a trusted companion in their health journey. โWe want Valerie to be very kind of not only informative and educational โฆ but also really down-to-earth, and kind of straight-talking,โ he concludes. With its unique blend of expertise, empathy, and dedication, Valerie may just prove to be the game-changer that women navigating menopause have been waiting for.