Forget the COVID-19 recession, we’ve got a bout of sexual stagnation on our hands. Studies suggest the average adult has gone from having sex 62 times a year to 54 times a year, and that the number of 18-29 year olds reporting no sex in the past year has doubled since 2008. Explanations abound, from the “sheer pace of modern life” to ‘self-partnering’ a la Emma Watson, to raised standards (huge if true). But is our collective celibacy a problem? And if it is, does that mean we need a solution?
Chloe Macintosh, creator of new wellness app Kama, thinks so.
“Our body is the most advanced technology that we will ever interact with and yet we know so little about it, and often leave it to others to make decisions about our health and sexual wellbeing which ultimately leaves us unfulfilled.”
Sex allows you to develop holistic connections between mind, body and heart; if done right, it’s a source of real pleasure – and pleasure is health. Good sex paves the way for physical, emotional and (if you’re really lucky) spiritual transformation, as well as lower stress levels and better body confidence.
Kama, says Chloe, was made as “a response to the global mental health epidemic, the sex recession, and the World Association of Sexual Health’s declaration of pleasure as a human right.” It was developed for anyone and everyone, by respected experts spanning neuroscience to psychosexuality. Its goal is to optimise every user’s body for sexual pleasure through daily 30 minute practice, focusing in on breath, motion, touch, desire and heart.
Kama will be much cheaper than traditional sex therapy – which is also mostly “unregulated”. Chloe and the team hope that the app will democratise later-life sex education, filling in the gaps left by patchy sex ed at school through accessible and artfully laid out information.
Kama recently raised a £2.5M seedround from investors including Kevin Ryan at AlleyCorp, Female Founders Fund, Raine Group, and January Ventures. Chloe’s background as founder of Europe’s biggest online design platform and creative director of Soho House Group will have distinguished her in a challenging field. According to angel investor in Kama Deepali Nanglia,
“Sexual wellness is a tough space to invest in but Chloe has enormous experience in building businesses and brands and I hope that she will demystify and democratise sexual wellness just like she did with furniture at MADE.COM.”
