Hormonious Flo

Hormonious Flo is a femtech mobile application built around cycle syncing: rather than predicting period dates alone, it takes user-entered symptoms and cycle data and returns explanations of those symptoms plus lifestyle changes intended to reduce them. The product is organised around the four phases of the menstrual cycle (follicular, ovulatory, luteal, menstrual) and delivers nutritionist-developed recipes, exercise routines and daily task/scheduling suggestions matched to the phase a user is in.

The app has included a roughly six-month lesson plan of two-to-three minute daily courses with end-of-lesson questionnaires, progressing from basic menstrual-cycle concepts to an individualised cycle plan, and a recipe and grocery section. A grocery-list feature that lets users build shopping lists for each of the four cycle phases was described by the founder as the most popular feature; an integration that sends data to Google Calendar was another frequently requested addition. Co-founder materials describe the personalisation as AI-driven, based on the user's age, cycle and symptoms. The app has been distributed through the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Founding story

Co-founder Alexis Abayomi, a self-taught app developer and Imperial College London graduate in mechanical engineering and materials science, began researching the menstrual cycle in 2016 after experiencing severe period pain that disrupted her daily life. Alisa Vitti's book "WomanCode" introduced her to cycle phases and lifestyle alignment; after changing her own habits she set out to make the process easier for others, and an early version of the product was a grocery list app for shopping according to cycle phase. She built the first iteration of Hormonious Flo in 2020. Co-founder Sasha Cayward, a Williams College student studying psychology and religion with a neuroscience concentration who had worked as a health coach and previously studied abroad at University College London, became interested in cycle-based approaches after losing her period at 16 and later hearing a podcast on the infradian rhythm during a gap year in England. The two met at a webinar for women in business and decided to expand the existing app beyond food into a broader personalised programme, with Abayomi handling coding and design and Cayward creating the programmes and recording audio and video content.

Business model

Consumer mobile app distributed via the Apple App Store and Google Play, with content-based programmes (lesson plans, recipes, grocery lists, audio and video tracks) and personalised guidance. The founder has publicly described monetisation of the app as a significant challenge.

Traction

The founder describes the 2020 first iteration as a success and reports that user requests drove most feature additions and that customers reported improved understanding of their bodies. The team grew to about seven people following funding. The company reports persistent difficulty maintaining daily user engagement and monetising the app.

Latest developments

Coverage reports a Starling Bank Take Flight bursary win and plans to hire developer and marketing talent, an app relaunch scheduled for the end of March 2022, and a subsequent founder interview describing monetisation and engagement challenges and a break from the venture.