After our London Big Connect event where Dominnique delivered an awesome keynote speech, we just had to sit down and probe her further...
Dominnique Karetsos doesn’t just build brands. She builds ecosystems, ventures, and movements. With over 25 years of consumer-centric experience and a track record of launching more than 100 brands, she’s a trusted voice in femtech, sexual wellness, and women’s health. She’s also a venture capitalist, Co-Founder and GP of Amboy Street Ventures, Partner of Rakini Group, CEO of the venture-backed Healthy Pleasure Group, CIO of Blue Rose Foundation and Un Women CSW for the future of innovation, Mentor and Board Advisor for multiple Sexual Health and Women’s health companies
We were very fortunate to sit down with this epic role model for female founders, and we’ve shared some of her gold nugget insights here. This is pure founder fuel; straight-talking, insight-packed, and practical.
Q: How did your journey into this space begin?
Dominnique: 14 years ago, I stepped into a space that didn’t really exist yet – sexual health and technology. It was a “brown paper bag industry.” We had pregnancy tests at the chemist and porn on the internet. Everything else? Hidden. Stigmatised. Taboo.
So I built the Healthy Pleasure Group and an ecosystem to prove that healthy sexuality isn’t just normal, it’s essential. We had no innovation, no education, and no investment. But we built it anyway, because the world needed it. We launched over 100 brands across four continents, all dedicated to innovation and education for healthy sexualities and improving women’s health, of which more than 90% were female founders leading and innovating real positive change
Q: Why is it still so hard for women-led businesses to raise capital?
Dominnique:
Because too many people holding the purse strings can’t tell the difference between a clitoris and a carburettor. I’m not joking. Investors often don’t understand the problems women are solving, especially in taboo or underserved sectors like menopause. And what people don’t understand, they don’t back.
So brilliant founders, like you, get overlooked. That’s why we launched Amboy Street Ventures. To fund the things the market didn’t “get” yet and to put capital into the hands of those innovating for health, pleasure, and equality.
Q: What’s the first thing every founder needs to do before building their brand?
Dominnique: Talk to your Now, Next and Future customer. That’s it. I don’t care if you’re pre-revenue or post-product. Your customer, whether they’re a user, patient, partner, or parent, is your first port of call.
When you speak to your customer, they give you everything:
- Proof
- Permission
- Language
- Validation
That data becomes your story. And your story becomes your reputation – the thing that opens rooms, attracts talent, and builds trust with investors. Reputation is your currency.
Q: What happens when founders skip that step?
Dominnique: They build in the wrong direction. They start with Instagram handles, logos, and moodboards, before they’ve asked even one real person what they need.
You need five things when building a brand, and in this order:
- Customer insights
- Content strategy
- Narrative and brand DNA
- Creative Brand execution
- Channel strategy
And you can’t do any of it without talking to your customer. AI can help you move faster, but it won’t give you customer insights and permission. That’s earned through communication, clarity, and connection.
Q: What does real customer obsession look like in practice?
Dominnique: Never let go of your customer’s hand. If you do, you might have a “now” customer, but you’ll never have a “next” or “future” customer.
Take Garmin, for example. My watch tells me I slept terribly. Thanks, I know – I was there. But does it tell me how to fix it? Does it tell me how I can find better sleep? No. It just lets go of my hand.
Contrast that with their golf app, which teaches you how to improve. See the difference? One builds loyalty. The other loses it.
Your job is to support your customer through the full experience, not just alert them to a problem .
“Never let go of your customer’s hand. If you do, you might have a “now” customer, but you’ll never have a “next” or “future” customer.”
Q: You mentioned that we should think about three types of customers. Can you expand on that?
Dominnique: You’re building your company for three audiences:
- Now customers – they’re urgent. They’re ready. Solve their pain today.
- Next customers – they’re interested, but not quite ready. They need permission or education.
- Future customers – they don’t know you exist yet. But they’ll grow into your brand.
Each has different needs. Each needs a different narrative, channel, and format. Don’t just assume social media is the answer. Some audiences are in WhatsApp groups. Others are in clinics. Others read whitepapers or hang out in Reddit forums.
Let your customer show you the right door.
Q: Can you give an example of customer insights transforming a product?
Dominnique: Yes, loads. But let’s talk about menopause.
We worked with an international brand that sells menopause solutions. They weren’t working. So we brought in 35 of their R&D team, all men, and asked them what they knew. The only thing they knew was, “My wife opens the window in the middle of the night when it’s cold.” That was it.
So we ran 50 hours of interviews with UK women. They told us they wanted:
- Straight-talking
- Humour
- Help them understand their anatomy and what is going on in their bodies before you make a product or take another pill
So an intimate gel was created with education built in. Huge success in the UK.
Then they launched the same product in Brazil. It flopped.
Why? Catholic culture. Women referred to menopause as “the M-word.” Women of menopausal age were of the generation that never talked about or touched their genitalia. A rub-on gel? No thanks. Because of talking to customers that gel wasreformulated it into a spray. Same formula. Different format. Now it’s working. Culture. religion. Policy and power all inform how we dismantle the taboo and reimagine positive social behavioural change.
You can’t force adoption. But you can offer social permission. And that’s how you create behaviour change.
Q: What should we be asking our customers to uncover these insights?
Dominnique: Forget demographics for a second. Go deeper.
Ask:
- “Talk me through the last time this happened.”
- “What did you do instead?”
- “What did it cost you- in terms of time, money, stress, reputation?”
- “What would make you trust a solution like this?”
- “What would make it feel allowed to engage?”
- “What would stop you?”
- “If this existed tomorrow, what would you do first?”
You’re not just getting answers – you’re mining language. Real, powerful vernacular that builds your brand voice and unlocks customer trust.
Q: Let’s talk about pitching. What makes a killer pitch deck?
Dominnique: Pitch like it’s a TED Talk. Tell a story. Do it clearly and confidently. Your deck should have no more than 10 non-negotiable slides. The rest can live in the appendix.
Here’s what matters:
- Why you? – What makes your brand credible (from your customer proof, not just your team bio)
- Why now? – The urgency of the problem
- What’s the solution? – Make it concise
- Proof and validation – Case studies, early results, lived experience
- How you’ll make money – Not just a model, but an evidence-based rationale
- What you need – Be specific. And always add 30% to your fundraising ask
- Milestones – Where the money will go – in detail
- Moat – Your competitive edge. A moat makes it hard for competitors to compete with you. It’s what keeps customers with you and keeps competitors out. How copyable are you
- Team – Why you’re the one to back
- FAQs – Show you’ve stress-tested objections
Q: What about fundraising etiquette? What should founders be doing when approaching investors?
Dominnique: Qualify your investors. It’s not rude – it’s leadership. Ask:
- “Are you deploying in the next 8–12 weeks?”
- “What cheque size do you typically invest at?”
- “What would you need to see to say yes?”
- “If not you, is there someone in your network I should speak to?”
And please: don’t send your deck asking for “thoughts.” That’s not an ask. That’s unpaid consulting. Be clear. Be direct. You’re not begging – you’re selling a chunk of your company. Negotiate with value in mind for both parties.
Q: Final takeaways for female founders navigating the messy middle of growth?
Dominnique:
- You are not your business. It’s not the beginning or end of you. Your business has a chair at your table.
- Obsess over your customer. Always.
- Build allyship, not just a network.
- Don’t be afraid to say no, even to money.
- Stop answering every email within 24 hours. Your energy is precious. Or unless you are fundraising.
- Be the chief of explaining – lead with compassion with boundaries.
And above all – have a point of view. You’ve earned your space. Say what you need to say.
In Summary:
Customer obsession is your superpower.
Reputation is your currency.
Insight is your shortcut to traction and capital.
And you don’t need to be everywhere – just be clear, and be heard.
Dominnique Karetsos is a master of building brave businesses in taboo spaces. But her insights apply to any founder looking to grow with clarity, integrity, and confidence.
She’s one of our heroes and role models, and we look forward to cheering her from the sidelines in all of her exciting endeavours.