Meet Our Entreprenista of the Year: Arion Long, Founder of Femly

3

Join us in congratulating the founder of Femly and our Entreprenista of the Year Arion Long. Changing the way women take care of “the flow,” Entreprenista Arion Long, launched her company Femly after being diagnosed with a tumor linked directly to chemicals in popular pads and tampons. When she started Femly, she was living at home with her entire family. At the time, she was working full-time with a healthcare organization and was having the heaviest periods of her life. Leaking through outfits while at work, or having her period for 10 days or more was her norm, but yet, she couldn’t seem to get a doctor to take her complaints seriously. 

After being prescribed birth control, and having horrible side effects, she decided to take her chances with one last Obgyn. At her first visit she felt heard for the first time ever, and was notified that she had an abnormal growth that would need to be surgically removed. The same doctor that was willing to listen to her and dig deeper to find her issue also told her about the chemicals hiding in the pads and tampons that she and many other women were using. She instantly knew that she needed to go organic, but couldn’t find a pad that was leak-free and comfortable.

So she sought out to create one herself. In 2016 she founded Femly, a tech startup that increases free access to organic pads and tampons. She’s developed a patent-pending dispenser that allows users to walk up and wave “hello” for products without a cost. She sells her dispenser and accompanying products to restrooms for schools, hospitals, and hotels around the world.

Her journey into entrepreneurship has been anything but easy. While most startups have common missteps and bumps in the road, Arion faced one of the most devastating challenges of all. In 2018 she lost her daughter, Sage to late-term stillbirth and medical negligence. She nearly died and spent days on life support. Black women like herself are four times likely to die from cervical cancer and six times more likely to die in labor. Two weeks after being discharged from the hospital she won her first big pitch competition. Thereafter, she leveraged grant funding, competitions and investments to launch her dispenser while making organic period care in public spaces freely available.

Like many female founded businesses, access to capital was her biggest challenge. But once again, she persevered and became one of the first 150 Black women in the history of the United States to get more than $1M in venture capital.

We haven’t had access to capital in the same way that our non-minority competitors have.” 

In 2021, while battling covid pneumonia, she was chosen as the Ifundwomen Entrepreneur of the Year. This win was such a huge deal because she had spent the previous year quietly building what would be her high-tech dispenser.

Femly is built on impact and scale to actualize period equity. With laws now requiring period care around the world, Femly is the only minority-led organization in the B2B/enterprise space. In the past year they’ve shipped more than 325,000 period care products and have changed more than 50,000 lives. 

And 2023 has a lot in store for Femly. Arion will be announcing partnerships with one of the biggest universities in New York, an NFL team, and launching their national student impact fellowship program.

She truly is changing the world for generations to come
Congratulations again to our Entreprenista of the Year Award Winner, Arion Long, Founder of Femly. You are truly paving the way for women leaders everywhere we are so honored to have you as an Entreprenista. Learn more about Arion and connect with her in our Entreprenista League community of founders!

Share it!

Posted in
Tags

Leave a Comment





Katia Conte Honors Daughter’s Legacy with Childhood Cancer Nonprofit

Hi, Katia! Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business: My name is Katia Conte, and I am the President/Co-Founder of the Daniela Conte Foundation. Our nonprofit organization is a beacon of hope for families battling pediatric cancer. Founded in 2020, our mission is deeply rooted in the memory of my daughter, Daniela,…

Kristen Chimack Provides Real-World Coaching for Success

Hi, Kristen! Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business: Hi, I’m Kristen. After a 30-year stint in corporate America, culminating in a whirlwind four years leading the public relations department at a Fortune 40 organization, I decided it was time to hang up my corporate hat and chase my true passions. In…

How Dr. Sophia Yen is Transforming and Investing in Women’s Health with Pandia Health

“One in five women with menopause have considered dropping out of work, have foregone promotion. And we are just at the top of our game and to take us out at 50 is not okay. It’s about empowering women to be the best that we can possibly be.” When Dr. Sophia Yen co-founded Pandia Health,…

Amy Rees Celebrates Solidarity With Personality Plates

Hi, Amy! Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business: Hi, I’m Amy. Women are at the heart of Personality Plates because I could not have gotten through my difficult divorces and heartbreak without my friends and chosen sisters. I couldn’t have raised my daughters as the strong, independent young ladies they are…

How Julia Haart Reinvented Her Life at 42 from Restrictive Upbringing to Fashion Leader

“Ignorance, people, is good! Jump in. Enjoy it. Ask the questions. Study. Learn. Be an eternal student. That’s how you succeed.” In this episode of Entreprenista, we sat down with Julia Haart, the founder of +Body by Julia Haart, a body-positive, technologically advanced shapewear brand that aims to empower women to unapologetically express themselves and…

The Most Common Mistakes When Starting a Business—and How to Avoid Them

When you’re first starting a business, there’s so much you don’t know you don’t know—like how to price your offerings, market your business, or hire people to support you. Every entrepreneur learns along the way, so why not save yourself some time and money (and potentially even business heartbreak) by learning from the candid stories…

Logan Rae on Her Journey to Founding a Digital Marketing Agency

Hi, Logan. Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business: I’m Logan Rae, I’m 29 years old and Founder & CEO of Argon Agency. Who are your customers? Mid-size businesses mostly in the behavioral healthcare field. What made you take the leap to start your own business? I had done entrepreneurship once before…

Jennifer Jank on Helping Entrepreneurs Reclaim Their Time and Energy

Hi, Jennifer! Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business: Jennifer Jank (JJ) is a productivity consultant helping business owners make more profit in less time and with better systems. Her goal is to help entrepreneurs, especially women, reclaim their time, energy, and attention away from busyness and towards joy… without sacrificing profits.…

How to Make an Impact as a Podcast Guest with Patrice Poltzer

“We’re being bombarded all day with so much content and noise. “Please, please. I need your attention here, here, here.” You really have to learn to think about who’s listening. Really ask yourself, what is the takeaway for the person listening? Why does that matter? And if you can’t think of that, then you don’t…

Andrea TheoJohn Helps Clients Grow and Market Their Brands

Hi, Andrea! Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business: Andrea TheoJohn, MBA is a marketing and branding professional with over 15 years of global and corporate experience. She’s managed over 70 brand professionals in 17 different countries, handled the branding and communications efforts for 160M Euro M&A ventures and now brings that…

How Laurel Mintz Is Empowering Diverse Leaders in Venture Capital

“We transitioned almost everyone out of the company and really flipped the entire company around. It was one of the most painful few months of my entire career, but also one of the most impactful. And if we had not done that, we probably wouldn’t still be standing today.” In this episode of Entreprenista, we…

Valeria Lasak’s Marketing Agency Focuses on Fashion, Beauty, and Personal Brands

Hi, Valeria! Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business: Hi, I’m Valeria. Cofounder of MKT Besties and Nomad, a marketing agency focused on fashion, beauty, and personal brands, I’m also a community leader with the New Miami Girls community and host the street podcast ‘Who Is She Miami.’ This project is especially…

Leigh Burgess on Her Passion for Consulting, Coaching, and Curated Events

Hi, Leigh! Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business: Leigh is a CEO & Founder and driven entrepreneur who is passionate about helping organizations and individuals achieve their fullest potential faster. By continuously stepping out of her comfort zone and pushing boundaries, Leigh has not only grown her own company into a…

How to Avoid Legal Challenges with Lauren Bercuson from Storylock Legal

“In the beginning, if you don’t have a team or a system or community around you, it’s very easy to feel lost. There are these amazing communities out there for amazing female founders that will really help guide and support you. So, the greatest lesson I learned pretty quickly was that you’re never alone. Or,…

The Secrets to Building a Community Led Business with Ingrid Read

“You really have to understand that, in order for you to scale, you have to learn how to do certain things and master them before you move on. If you don’t do that, then your audience is going to feel just as lost as you feel.” In this episode of Entreprenista, we sat down with…