Innovation Out of Necessity.
As a couple who experienced it firsthand, we know intimacy isn’t always easy.
We see you. We are you. A new solution is here.
Our Journey
2014-2023
When your body just says no.
Kelley can’t insert a tampon and avoids penetrative activities. Five providers, thousands spent, endless tears, dilators, lubes, and needle pokes later… penetration was still difficult as hell. Her libido was gone, and sex wasn’t on the table.
December 2022
Exhausted, but not done.
After nearly a decade of searching for answers, Kelley and Doug are mentally, physically, and emotionally spent. Doug, a biomedical engineer, decides to build a solution himself. Kelley’s skeptical — but she’s also out of options.
December 20, 2023
The night everything changed.
Kelley crafts a silicone prototype on their bedroom floor from Doug’s sketches — and later that night, for the first time ever, they have intercourse. Cue the tears. Cue the celebrating. Kelley leaves her job to build Pelva full-time and secures their first business grant.
January 5, 2023
Pelva is born.
With their small savings and a big idea, Kelley and Doug form Pelva — with an ambitious vision to share their product with the world.
August 1, 2024
From the bedroom to the lab.
Pelva moves out of their apartment and into a 200-square-foot lab in Saint Paul, Minnesota — the first real home of their growing dream.
May 2025
Science takes notice.
Pelva receives a grant from the National Institutes of Health to advance development of their novel hydrogel technology.
July 2025
300 prototypes later.
Pelva receives its first investment, bringing Doug on full-time. Over the next year, they’ll create and test more than 300 variations before perfecting the final design.
September 1, 2025
From dream to factory floor.
Pelva moves to Edina, MN to prepare its own U.S. manufacturing lines, because control, quality, and transparency matter the most.
"We believe that every person should be able to experience sexual intimacy with ease and confidence. And not 2 years from now. Tonight."
PELVA CO-FOUNDERS
Because we’re just getting started.
Sign up for honest updates, early looks, and the lessons we’re learning along the way.