81. Asan Wellness: the menstrual cup putting an end to global period poverty. Period.

Social Impact Award Nominee

In recognition of the startup which is putting purpose ahead of profit, with evidence of a commitment to making the world a better place with its business model.

Startups 100: Social Impact Award

Founder: Ira Guha
Year founded: 2020
Website: asancup.com

It’s a shameful fact that, throughout the globe, women and girls are missing out on essential activities like school and work simply because they can’t access period products. This, paired with the pressing issue of plastic waste, creates a significant need for the creation of new menstrual products.

Ira Guha decided to tackle this challenge head on after meeting a domestic worker in India who missed five days of work every month because she couldn’t access safe period care. Guha created and launched a leakproof, anti-stain menstrual cup that features a unique removal ring.

The Startups judges are always keen to see unique business operations. Asan has a hybrid business model that combines D2C in the UK and Europe with a B2B partnership model in the global south, where it sells to factories, charities and governments in India and Africa.

Last December, Asan also released a 100% free period tracking app for women and girls to understand their menstrual cycles without financial burden. Designed by an all-female team of engineers, it stands out as one of the few femtech health apps not built by men.

This was a dream come true for me as it is the biggest global prize in women's entrepreneurship and includes a cash grant, business mentorship and strategic support from Cartier – all of which enables Asan to scale our sales and social impact globally,

This B2B channel in India and across Africa makes Asan the only period care brand with a scalable model both for the West and the global south. And the mission to make Asan accessible to all is one key reason it was runner-up for the Startups 100 Social Impact Award this year.

Asan is powered by a mix of angel investment, business grants, and VC funding. But when asked about her highlight in the past financial year, Guha names winning the 2024 Cartier Women’s Initiative Fellowship as a personal milestone.

“This was a dream come true for me as it is the biggest global prize in women’s entrepreneurship and includes a cash grant, business mentorship and strategic support from Cartier – all of which enables Asan to scale our sales and social impact globally,” says Guha.

By 2030, the startup wants to have enabled over two million low-income women to attend school and work during periods, and would have stopped over five billion plastic pads and tampons from going to landfill.

Guha’s commitment to ending global period poverty makes Asan a standout in the women’s health sector, and we’re thrilled to name it a top 100 startup for 2025. Congratulations, Asan!