Sydney-based sexual wellness startup Normal, a female-founded company that has generated nearly $6 million in sales since its 2021 launch, is taking an unconventional route for its first-ever capital raise.

After hitting roadblocks with traditional venture capital, the company is turning to its own community, launching an equity crowdfunding campaign on Birchal.

The move highlights a persistent challenge for startups operating in sectors often deemed taboo by institutional investors. Despite a strong commercial performance, including 60-70% year-on-year sales growth and a customer base of over 40,000, co-founder and CEO Lucy Wark says traditional funding channels proved difficult to navigate.

"Sexual wellness is challenging for a lot of professional investors, whether due to stigma or getting caught up in internal policies designed to restrict socially harmful investments - even though businesses like ours actually have a hugely positive social impact," said Wark, a former McKinsey consultant and social scientist.

Wark revealed that the company had even passed an investment committee at a major VC fund, only to be vetoed later due to "vice clause concerns". This was despite the fact that Normal's free online sex education resources, which are funded by its toy sales, have been "viewed tens of millions of times in over 40 countries".

Having built a high-growth business by finding "alternative growth pathways at every turn," Wark now sees crowdfunding as the most logical move. "Equity crowdfunding is the logical next step; it lets us scale with the same community that helped us succeed".

The campaign is currently in expression of interest mode, which will help determine the amount of capital raised and the valuation, but Wark hinted they’re looking to raise between “$500K - $1M” from the process.

Normal plans to use the funds to expand its B2B partnerships, develop new recurring-purchase consumables, grow its free education library, and reach new audiences.

Birchal is Australia's leading equity crowdfunding platform, which has helped over 250 companies raise more than $230 million since 2018.

Co-founded by Wark and certified sex coach Georgia Grace, who still owns 100% of the company, Normal was incubated by Eucalyptus, the HealthTech backed by Blackbird, Bond, and Woolworths' W23.

Normal has positioned itself as an "education-led consumer tech brand" rather than just a product company. Its website offers free video courses and over 100 written guides on sexual health and relationships.

This content-first strategy, combined with "bold, cheeky advertising" and collaborations with high-profile creators like Abbie Chatfield, has helped the brand build a significant digital footprint, attracting over 200,000 social media followers and more than 500,000 website visitors annually.