An Australian health startup focused on changing the game in menstrual health has rebranded its name to reflect the strength of women and protect its intellectual property (IP).
Initially called FemTeck, the company’s founder Olivia Orchowski has rebranded the business as Kyri. The new name is inspired by Norse mythology, with Kyri being a shortened form of Valkyrie, the warrior women sent to choose who, among the fallen in battle, would enter Vahalla, Norse heaven.
It’s been insanely positive,” Orchowski tells Women’s Agenda about the feedback they’ve received.
“Our investors are excited, our team is giddy, and most importantly, our customers get it. We love the name and the feedback has been overwhelmingly supportive of the rebrand.”
Kyri creates cutting-edge technology, such as the Basal Body Ring, to support women to track and understand their cycles. With data on basal body temperature, heart rate, and other essential biometrics, Kyri says it helps women to make informed decisions about fertility, family planning, and managing underlying women’s health issues with overall health tracking.
“A lot of what excites me about Kyri is no different to what excites me about Femtek. With a rebrand, naturally there’s more excitement and creative influence that comes in which boosts a lot of morale in the creative team,” Orchowski says, adding that the team is “mostly excited to be moving forward with a brand name that more customers can resonate with and feel connected to.”
The female-led and Australian-owned company is based in Melbourne, with domestic and international shipping. At the moment, the website still operates under femtek.co.
Orchowski founded Kyri in 2020, and she’s said that, along with reflecting the company’s evolving mission, the rebrand was made to resolve a longstanding IP issue.
“Femtek in its current spelling is not a company name that Australia’s IP office will allow us to trademark,” Orchowski said on LinkedIn, noting that she’s been toying with the idea of changing the name for over two years.
“It’s not a decision we took lightly, but it is one that we finally realised we couldn’t delay any further.”
In the beginning, Orchowski says Femteck was the name given to the brand, but that as they’ve evolved, it’s “no longer a name reflective of the relationship we want to foster with our customers”.
“Just like Valkyries, who were powerful warriors guiding the fallen to greatness, our startup pioneers a path to empower women by leading innovative solutions for their well-being.”
“Where Femtek feels clinical and explanatory of what we do, Kyri is something more.”
Other reasons for the rebrand include the fact that many early users have naturally called the company’s main product the Femtek ring, rather than the actual name, Basal Body Ring.
“Rebranding to Kyri, means users will naturally call the device the Kyri Ring which embodies the femininity and strength we are trying to portray with our brand,” says Orchowski.
There’s been a longstanding issue with the company spelling as well, where many have capitalised the T in Femtek, where it should remain lowercase.
Kyri’s rebrand comes after a $1 million funding round earlier this year, led by Arcanys Ventures and Techstars, along with support from angel investors.