#15 - Sex-Entrepreneurship with Emma Sayle

Being a female founder isn’t easy, especially when you’re in the business of breaking taboos. In this episode with Emma Sayle, the founder and CEO of KK Group known for brands Killing Kittens, SafeDate, and Sistr, we explore the link between financial and sexual confidence, the highs and lows of being a ‘’sex-entrepeneur,’ feminist awakenings, and what’s next for the sex and adult industry. Follow Emma on instagram @emsayle333 and twitter @emmasayle

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Bio:
Emma Sayle, Founder and CEO of the Wearekk brands; Killing Kittens, Safedate, Sistr and The Sisterhood

In 2005 there was nowhere women could go to feel in control and explore their sexuality in a safe environment, so Emma created Killing Kittens.  KK has grown in to a fierce army of over 160,000 sexually liberated people around the world, through events hosted from London to New York, Venice to Sydney on top of a global online community platform.  Popular press regularly pronounces Emma a leader in female sexual liberation and empowerment. 

When Emma started Killing Kittens 15 years ago, she wanted to create a brand that stood for women and want they wanted.   Greater awareness of female sexuality and sexual freedom was slowly becoming more socially and commercially acceptable, but there was still a long way to go in an industry that claimed to be for women but run almost exclusively run by men.  She knew that to empower women sexually, it had to be with a business that put them first.  

Since setting up the first parties, Emma has fully expanded the business, which now operates both on and offline. May 2020 sees Emma launching the hotly awaited KK app (think Facebook meets Bumble) as well as virtual workshops offering sex education and advice for singles and couples. During lockdown, KK also became the world leader in virtual adult parties, creating world-wide press coverage for their virtual adult parties, held weekly across all major time zones from London to New York and Sydney. 

Emma understands that a successful business can’t be built without a passion and a team who believes in it just as much, and that one must have fire in the belly to take on an industry that is almost universally run by men, like the adult and ‘sex-tech’ industries.  Unfortunately, there is still a huge amount of bias and misconceptions to address, but Emma has never once doubted her belief to lead the business and keep pushing the boundaries.  It is true, sadly, that sexual discrimination is still alive and kicking in many sectors, across all levels, and many women struggle to be treated with the respect they deserve. She has learned that the best way to deal with the negativity is to stick to the facts, stick to the evidence; track your achievements, demonstrate your successes and let the facts and figures do the talking.  

In 2018, she led the business through a funding round.  The first ever public crowdfund for an adult sector brand of this nature and closed the round at 118% overfunded.   The second funding round closed completely funded in just four days – raising a total of £1m over the two rounds. The latest funding round has again closed overfunded after just a few days. 

The Wearekk portfolio of brands, including Killing Kittens, now also includes Sistr, a dedicated platform for women to connect, share and learn from one another, plus Safedate, an app for anyone wanting to stay safe whilst online dati