In the spotlight: Sexual Healing

Sexual Healing

Sexual Healing uniquely enables enjoyable sex for women after sexual trauma.
We asked the founder, Nienke Helder, 6 questions.

1. What is your value proposition?

Sexual Healing is a collection of four objects that help you overcome sexual problems or explore your sexuality.

2. What drives you to make these unique objects? What’s your mission?

I started Sexual Healing because I believe that everyone has the right to a healthy, safe and above all, pleasant sex life. My mission is to enable women to explore and (re-)discover their sexuality. Sexual Healing offers women ways to understand and learn from their bodies in the comfort of their own home.

3. How did Mercator Launch help you?

When I joined Mercator Launch, I was working alone and thinking about a lot of things, but I had no idea how to turn it into a business plan. Brechtje immediately had confidence in it and said that I was actually quite far, but that I just had to put it on paper. Besides the confidence boost the coaches have given me, I really enjoyed sitting in a group with other starting entrepreneurs, so that you could discuss what you experienced. It was also very inspiring to see how the others handled it. In the end, I also found my business partner, Inge, through Mercator Launch’s network. We still benefit greatly from the Mercator Launch Network, but also from the expertise of the coaches. It is nice to receive support from people who know what they are doing, but also very sharply see where our strengths and weaknesses lie. I think that is really a luxury for a start-up company.

4. What are the future plans for Sexual Healing?

I find this question difficult to answer. As far as I am concerned, Sexual Healing is a successful company when we have laid a good foundation and brought all four products to the market. But I think our mission to improve sexual health for women could be my focus for the rest of my working life. That is why I think our collaboration with scientific research is very important, because it allows us to bring structural change.

5. What do you need to make this happen?

We’re noticing that there is a lot of attention for our product abroad, including in America. In order to also be able to sell internationally, we could use extra investments, and someone who has experience to scale up companies in such a way.

6. If you can give one piece of advice to future entrepreneurs what would that be?

It may sound a bit cheesy but if you don’t know whose advice to listen to, dare to trust your intuition. And: find a business partner that suits you well if you are still working alone! Working together makes the whole process so much more fun!


Both portrate pictures have been taken by photographer Boudewijn Bollmann.