Polari Labs
Entrepreneur First '23London, GB · Founded 2023 · 1 known investors
Polari Labs develops A-BALL, a body-safe insertable device positioned as an alternative to anal douching that acts as a barrier and dissolves into a stool-like texture for later removal. The company is building a lab focused on the science of anal intimacy products, based in London.
Also known as A-Ball · A-BALL · Polari
Founders & leadership
Polari Labs was founded in 2023 by Anna Vybornova and Henry Blest.
Investors · 1
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Polari Labs is a London-based sextech company developing A-BALL, an insertable rectal device positioned as an alternative to anal douching. The ball is made from collagen/gelatin (reported by Queerty as pork-derived, making the product non-vegan, non-vegetarian, non-kosher and non-halal) and alginate derived from seaweed. It is firm at room temperature so it can pass the sphincter like an anal bead, then softens with body heat roughly 30 seconds after insertion. According to the company, the ball sits at the top of the rectum and acts as a barrier between faecal matter and whatever is inserted, reducing faecal accidents; it stays whole rather than dissolving and is expelled with the user's next bowel movement. The company markets the product as removing the need for water-based douching, which it says can take up to 30 minutes.
The company positions A-BALL as a sexual wellness product rather than a medical device, stating it is not intended to diagnose, prevent, monitor, treat or alleviate any condition, and that it therefore does not carry (and cannot legally carry) a CE or UKCA mark. It says it has nevertheless applied medical-device-adjacent standards for guidance, including ISO 13485 (quality management), ISO 14971 (risk management), ISO 3533 (sex toy design) and ISO 10993 biocompatibility testing, with cytotoxicity (10993-5), sensitisation (10993-10) and irritation (10993-23) testing performed by an independent laboratory. Product formulation is described as matched to rectal pH and osmolarity, referencing the WHO's 2011 recommendation that personal lubricant osmolality not exceed 380 mOsm/kg.
Beyond the product, the company describes building what it calls the world's first laboratory dedicated to the science of anal sex, in London, and collaborating with medical doctors and scientists to study anal health and pleasure. Listed advisors are Dr Carmen Fong, a colorectal surgeon and co-director of the Hemorrhoids Center of America, and Dr Chris McCormack, a psychosexual therapist at 56 Dean Street.
Founding story
Co-founders Anna Vybornova, a bioengineer with an MSc from EPFL and prior medtech and pharma operating experience, and Dr Henry Blest, who holds a PhD in medical sciences from the University of Oxford with research on HIV and herpes simplex virus, started the company in London to address the burden of anal douching, which they describe as an invasive, time-consuming practice that creates relational and mental health pressure, particularly but not exclusively for gay men. They state there is little innovation in the area because of taboo, and set out to build a laboratory dedicated to studying anal sex.
Business model
Polari Labs is a direct-to-consumer sexual wellness product company. It develops and manufactures A-BALL, a single-use insertable device sold as a consumable unit at a stated price of £4 per ball. Initial demand generation and pre-selling were done through a Kickstarter campaign offering reward tiers (roughly $69 for 20 balls up to $1,340 for 80 balls plus dinner with the founders and other perks), with estimated fulfilment in June 2027. A waitlist offering 25% off for a year is also promoted on the company's site.
Sale of consumable single-use units at a stated £4 per ball, initially via Kickstarter pre-orders and a waitlist offering 25% off for a year.
Traction
A Kickstarter campaign launched in March 2026 with a $13,400 goal exceeded $100,000 in a day and reached $233,612 in pledges. Reported private funding totals $539,000 in pre-seed per City AM, with the company later stating $1.5m raised before the Kickstarter. The team has grown beyond the two founders to include an R&D scientist (joined October 2025), a product/process scientist, a social media and community manager, and a people and operations lead, and has recruited clinical advisors. Human consumer trials had not yet been conducted as of March 2026.
Latest developments
In March 2026 Polari Labs launched a Kickstarter pre-sale for A-BALL with a $13,400 (£10,000) goal; it surpassed $100,000 within a day and reached $233,612 in pledges, with estimated delivery to backers in June 2027. On 26 March 2026 the company clarified to Queerty that it had raised $1.5m from private investment before the campaign. Vybornova stated that internal safety testing was largely complete and that remaining work concerns consumer trials, after which the design would be iterated based on feedback. Silicone lubricant compatibility testing and human trials were described as upcoming.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
The company describes itself as creating a new category in sexual wellness — anal preparation — arguing the sector has been under-served for anal use. It disputes the framing of its market as niche, citing a study indicating more than a third of heterosexual men and women had anal sex in the past year and its own estimate of roughly 167.7 million people in the UK, US and Europe engaging in anal sex annually. City AM cites an estimate that the sextech industry will be worth £120bn by 2030. The Kickstarter's rapid oversubscription is presented as evidence of latent demand.
The company presents A-BALL as the first alternative to anal douching, replacing a water-based routine it says can take up to 30 minutes with a device that is ready in about 30 seconds and requires no bathroom access. It emphasises a purpose-built formulation matched to rectal pH and osmolarity — contrasting this with commercial lubricants formulated for vaginal pH, which it says can be up to 1,000 times more acidic — and voluntary application of medical-device standards (ISO 13485, 14971, 3533 and 10993 biocompatibility testing) despite the product being classified as a wellness item. It also cites in-house testing infrastructure including a rectum model and a mechanical testing rig, and an advisory board including a colorectal surgeon and a psychosexual therapist.
Technology
A-BALL is a hydrogel-type device made from collagen/gelatin and seaweed-derived alginate. It is firm at room temperature to ease insertion and softens with body heat within about 30 seconds, forming a jelly-like barrier that remains intact and is expelled with the next bowel movement. Formulation is matched to rectal pH and osmolarity, referencing WHO's 2011 recommendation of a maximum lubricant osmolality of 380 mOsm/kg. Materials are described as pharmacopoeia grade and already used rectally in lubricants and suppositories. Development has used ISO 13485, ISO 14971, ISO 3533 and ISO 10993 as guidance, with independent-lab cytotoxicity, sensitisation and irritation testing. Validation work includes a laboratory rectum model, mechanical simulation of intercourse, and early testing with pig faeces. The team spans bioengineering, hydrogels, microfluidics, virology and biochemistry.
Go-to-market
Go-to-market has centred on direct consumer engagement and community-led marketing rather than retail or clinical channels: a Kickstarter pre-sale, a discounted waitlist, social media content (including Instagram explainer reels and a documentary-style video), and press coverage in LGBTQ+ and business media. The team includes a Social Media Marketing and Community Building Manager who co-founded the fetish community Klub Verboten across London, Berlin and Amsterdam. The founders also describe deliberately discussing anal sex publicly to counter stigma.
Adults who practise anal sex, with early marketing focused on gay and bisexual men and the wider LGBTQ+ community, but positioned by the company as also serving heterosexual users; testimonials on the site are from men aged 26-34.
Geography
Headquartered and laboratory-based in London, UK. Initial shipping for Kickstarter backers is planned for the UK, EU, USA and Canada, with the team saying it is exploring Australia in response to backer demand.
History
The founders, CEO Anna Vybornova and CTO Dr Henry Blest, began developing an alternative to anal douching in London and, per Queerty, had conducted roughly 2.5 years of research and development by the time of the Kickstarter launch. Early work included collecting pig faeces on an Isle of Wight farm and testing on laboratory rectal models. The company describes establishing what it calls the world's first laboratory dedicated to the science of anal sex, in London, and says it developed a new material for the product. Dr Pantelitsa Dimitriou joined as an R&D Scientist in October 2025. The company raised $539,000 in pre-seed funding as reported by City AM, and later stated to Queerty that it had raised $1.5m from private investment before the Kickstarter, which launched in March 2026 and passed $233,000 in pledges.
Risks & controversies
Queerty notes that at the time of the Kickstarter the only person reported to have used A-BALL was co-founder Henry Blest, with broader human trials still to come, and that the product could fail those tests; Kickstarter's standard warning about unfulfilled rewards applies, with delivery estimated for June 2027. The product uses pork-derived gelatin, making it not vegetarian, kosher or halal, and the company states it is not yet vegan. A-BALL is not a medical device and carries no CE or UKCA mark. Silicone-lubricant compatibility is untested. The founders also report fundraising difficulty and discrimination in UK finance, citing investor 'vice clauses' that restrict investment in not-safe-for-work categories, and a 2023 Proud Ventures report finding 75% of LGBTQIA+ founders believed their ability to raise capital was affected by their queer identity.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 4
launches, deals, and filingsIn an update to Queerty, Polari Labs clarified it had raised $1.5 million from private investment before launching its Kickstarter campaign.
$1.5M source ↗
Polari Labs launched a Kickstarter pre-sale for A-BALL with a goal of $13,400 (£10,000). It raised over $100,000 within a day and had reached $233,612 in pledges at the time of reporting. Reward tiers ranged from about $69 for 20 balls up to $1,340 (80 balls, dinner with the founders and other perks), with estimated delivery in June 2027.
$233.6K source ↗
A-BALL, an insertable ball made of gelatin/collagen and seaweed-derived alginate intended as an alternative to anal douching, went on pre-sale via Kickstarter at a stated price of £4 per ball, with shipping planned to the UK, EU, USA and Canada.
Pantelitsa Dimitriou, who holds a PhD in Engineering from Cardiff University and previously worked at King's College London on droplet microfluidics and hydrogels, joined Polari Labs in October 2025 as an R&D Scientist.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- Polari Labspolarilabs.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Polari Labs do?
- London sextech startup selling A-BALL, an insertable gelatin-alginate ball marketed as an alternative to anal douching.
- Who founded Polari Labs?
- Polari Labs was founded by Anna Vybornova, Henry Blest in 2023.
- Who are Polari Labs's investors?
- Polari Labs's investors include Entrepreneur First.
- Where is Polari Labs headquartered?
- Polari Labs is headquartered in London, GB.