Munich Startup: What does your startup do? What problem are you solving?
Peeku: Peeku is a digital platform for user-generated erotic literature – by women, for women. We offer an alternative to the existing erotic content on the internet, which is usually produced by and for men. Women have been shown to be less aroused by visual or auditory stimuli than men and, especially when it comes to sexual arousal, prefer to get in the mood using their own imagination. Through user-generated content, we also offer an authentic view of female pleasure and break with outdated role clichés and stereotypes.
Munich Startup: But that’s nothing out of the box!
Peeku: Erotic literature is very popular! However, existing platforms are usually in the “dirty corner” – they’re overloaded with obscene advertisements, the published stories sometimes contain illegal topics or the registered users behave inappropriately and give you an unpleasant feeling as a reader. It’s not a place where you feel comfortable and want to explore your sexuality. With Peeku, we’ve created a space where women feel safe and can explore and live out their fantasies. We offer an aesthetically pleasing and modern environment that focuses on female pleasure – without a dirty image.
Munich Startup: What’s your founding story?
Peeku: We were friends long before Peeku was founded. In our friendship, sexuality and desire was always a topic that we could talk about openly and without shame. While doing so, however, we noticed a problem time and again: Female desire has been told from the male point of view for far too long. We knew it was something we needed to change! We want to rewrite the story of female desire – from our point of view as women.
Peeku: “Every woman should have the right to live out her own sexuality in a self-determined way and without fear”
Munich Startup: What have been your biggest challenges so far?
Peeku: We both changed our career paths and were originally architects. Because we don’t have a classic business background, we’re learning a lot of new things right now. But this is a challenge that we also view as a major strength. We’ve taught ourselves a lot of things on our own and sometimes take less conventional routes. The most important thing is to always listen to your own gut feeling – so far, our experience has been nothing but positive.
Munich Startup: Where would you like to be in one year, and where in five years?
Peeku: We have big plans for 2023! We would like to expand our online offer further and are planning some collaborations with great companies. Currently, Peeku is 100 percent bootstrapped, and we’ll be starting the first financing rounds in spring. Our goal is to take an international approach right from the start, because female desire is definitely a topic of global relevance. Every woman should have the right to live out her own sexuality in a self-determined way and without fear.
Munich Startup: How have you experienced Munich as a startup location so far?
Peeku: In our opinion, Munich is a good location to start a business. The city has great programs and organizations that help you make real progress and have always put us in contact with the right person for any kind of subject. Our hope is specifically for the female founder scene in Munich to grow even faster and that many outstanding women will join in so we can exchange ideas with each other.
Munich Startup: Risk or security?
Peeku: If you put all your eggs in one basket and start your own business, there’s only one answer: Have the courage to take risks!