hilary coles, co-founder and vp of product at hims & hers

by | Mar 18, 2020 | Portfolio News

The Cnnekt recently interviewed Hims & Hers Co-founder and VP of Product Hilary Coles, whose company gives easy access to medical-grade products that aren’t always in reach. She and the company are also normalizing conversations about topics such as hair loss, erectile dysfunction, birth control, and sex drive changes.

As a female founder of Hims, medical-grade products targeted towards men, the article’s author wondered how people at the company accepted her role given her gender. “After growing up in Canada with access to universal health care and realizing how complicated and restrictive the U.S. system was, I grew passionate about finding a better way to get people access to the care they need,” Coles said. “After meeting Hims & Hers Founder and CEO Andrew Dudum through a friend, we hit it off…I was excited to join a motivating team of incredible individuals who are passionate about helping those who want and need access to quality care.”

As Dudum and Coles were in the process of launching Hims, they started thinking about the women’s market and realizing that it, too was lacking a more efficient and convenient way to access medical care and information; thus, they founded sister company Hers. “We believe women also have a right to make informed decisions about their wellbeing and have access to products that are scientifically proven to work to address common health issues such as acne, hair loss, and UTIs,” Coles said.

When asked how Hims is changing the game in terms of getting men interested in self-care, Coles said that they wanted to encourage open conversations around men’s wellbeing. “Hims users are open to humor and provocation, which are two of our favorite ways to kickstart a conversation about often stigmatized topics,” said Coles.

One final piece of advice Coles offered: “My biggest piece of advice would be to pursue what you’re passionate about even if you’re afraid of failing. I’ve worked hard and failed at many things to get where I am today. Taking risks and chasing your dreams can be scary, but I know first-hand that your efforts (and failures!) can also help you learn and succeed if you work hard and don’t give up.”

This article originally appeared in The Cnneckt.