WoW Woman in Women's Health I Peony Li, founder of Jude
Peony Li is the founder of Jude, a healthcare company on a mission to bring bladder care into the mainstream. She was Head of Investments at Founders Factory, where she supported and invested in over 60 start-ups. She fell in love with consumer healthcare and hasn’t looked back since.
She joined Daye where she commercialised a pain-relieving tampon. Then during the pandemic, distributed six million pieces of protective equipment to frontline workers, carers, and COVID hubs.
She loves hearing people’s stories to understand what health and wellness mean to them. Peony finds each unique story teaches her something new. Jude was founded to enable women to live their stories to the fullest.
Jude is a community-led consumer healthcare brand. They have co-developed a range of daily essentials and treatments alongside real women. Their first mission is to put bladder care into the mainstream, offering bladder care education, products, and treatment alongside raising awareness of bladder health.
Tell us a bit about your background and your projects so far.
I was born in Hong Kong and moved to the UK alone when I was 15. I read Economics at Cambridge and went on to start a career in finance. I got into banking as I wanted to be independent, but it wasn’t for me. I am passionate about the health and personal care industry. In particular, solving problems for underserved communities.
Founders Factory was a way for me to get exposure to a whole range of projects and people. I worked out what my values are and slowly got back into consumer healthcare. I fell in love with investing in businesses that directly touch people's hearts. Some of the investments I made, I’m so proud to have been a part of their early days. Including Honest Health (acquired by ForHims), Feedr (acquired by Compass Group), and Qumata (£8m raised).
I commercialised a pain-relieving tampon at Daye - helping women with endometriosis. Now I have turned my attention to revolutionising bladder care, which is where Jude comes in.
How did you get into this industry? Has it been an easy industry to get into or have you had many challenges?
I grew up in a family that has spent three decades developing personal care essentials and caring for people’s health. I went to trade shows with my parents, was brought to business meetings, and sat beside machine lines. My mum specialised in quality control and product development. My Dad specialises in sales and manages the team too. I learned from both of them. The care and quality they put into every single item they sell to people inspired me. And is the core of my values today.
Since moving to the UK and starting work, I have tried many different industries, but eventually, I found my way back to healthcare. The journey to this industry and finding my purpose was fun but it wasn’t easy.
Before starting Jude, my experiences allowed me to learn many new things, from medical product regulations, supply chains to building trust and loyalty as a healthcare company. I made a lot of mistakes in my career, and it was challenging. What keeps me going is the joy I get from improving people’s quality of life.
How long did it take you to be where you are now? What was the biggest obstacle? What are the challenges of being in the industry you are in?
It is taboo, there is still a lot of stigma talking about bladder issues. I still get people laughing at me when I tell them what I do. There are also a lot of misconceptions about bladder health. Educating others on the issue is a big part of what we do at Jude.
Product quality in the market is relatively low, given the magnitude of the issue – 14 million people in the UK alone experience bladder issues. That means one of the challenges is developing products in an industry that hasn’t yet been revolutionised. Working with supply chains that haven’t even begun to consider environmental impact. Despite this, we’ve co-created game-changing products with our community. Pads that decompose within 100 days and clinically proven natural supplements to strengthen bladder muscles.
What are your biggest achievements to date?
My biggest achievement is probably when I put together a team where we built a real aircraft, RV-8, in Hong Kong when I was 14 years old. The aircraft flew around the world by the pilot who initiated the project in 2015.
My second biggest achievement is distributing six million pieces of protective equipment to frontline workers, COVID hubs, and care homes during the pandemic. I was the only person doing the fulfillment, picking, packing, and printing shipping labels. I was moving 100 cartons myself on a pallet truck. The stock got stuck at a UPS warehouse and I was direct messaging people on LinkedIn to get it resolved. It was urgent. People were dying. I put the same amount of effort into delivering an order for 10 face masks, and I did for bigger orders. There was a lot of responsibility and a lot of sleepless nights. Nonetheless, hearing what I did make frontline workers feel safer and more protected was genuinely one of my proudest moments.
What are the projects you are currently working on?
Jude. We are putting bladder care into the mainstream. We are a community-led consumer healthcare brand that makes daily essentials and treatments for the embarrassing health topic - bladder issues. We co-created our range of products, which includes fully compostable pads, liners, and natural and clinically proven supplements to strengthen bladder muscles.
Is the #WomenInTech movement important to you and if yes, why?
Yes, massively. At Founders Factory, I created and initiated our female founders' office hours, so we get to mentor more female founders who wouldn’t usually meet. We need more women in business and innovation because we bring different perspectives to the table and we need more representation.
When working in banking, there was a lot of discrimination. I was called the ‘little Asian robot’ because I worked hard and didn’t complain. There were assumptions that because I’m an Asian woman, I’m meek and not very sociable. I saw this as an opportunity to surprise people with who I actually am. Over the years, I’ve found that being authentic is the most helpful tool in business. I’m so much more than just a woman of colour.
What will be the key trends in your industry in the next five years and where do you see them heading?
Booming e-commerce within the older demographic. We will see a plethora of brands and products better serving this “invisible” and underserved group of over 50s. I deeply believe they long deserve better consumer healthcare products.
What is the most important piece of advice you could give to anyone who wants to start a career in this industry?
I would say, work very hard, have no ego, learn as much as you can and always stay true to what you believe and value, especially if you are breaking a taboo.
Who are three inspirational women in your respective industry you admire?
Sara Blakley and her authenticity.
Marcia Kilgore and her ability to build great brands.
Martha Lane Fox and her confidence and honesty (and Lucky Voice!)
Find out more about Jude on their website.
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This interview was conducted by Marija Butkovic, Digital Marketing and PR strategist, founder, and CEO of Women of Wearables. She regularly writes and speaks on topics of wearable tech, fashion tech, IoT, entrepreneurship, and diversity. Follow Marija on Twitter @MarijaButkovic and read her stories for Forbes here.