The importance of good sex, according to Maaike Steinebach and Sara Tang

A femtech investor and a sex coach show us how personal ideals affect entrepreneurship opportunities and communities

Can technology democratise one’s personal well-being? Maaike Steinebach, a femtech advisor and investor, seems to think so. In May of 2023, Steinebach became the co-CEO of the first membership-based femtech industry network and advisory in Asia Pacific. She’s advised and invested in a handful of sex tech startups such as Nancy, Luuna, and MixCare Health, leveraging her knowledge to reach out to women and teach them about how to improve their financial, physical, mental and sexual well-being.

Pairing up with Sara Tang, a sex coach and sexologist, the two women speak on how something so technology-driven can make an impact on a very intimate aspect of one's life.

Tang, who is passionate about empowering the culturally conservative, helms her platform, Sarasense. Through this, she and her team provide tools and resources for people to educate themselves on all aspects of sex and sexuality. An award-winning podcast host and educator, Tang looks forward to providing insight on subjects that some may find taboo.

Empowering women and entrepreneurs, Steinebach and Tang give a powerful talk at the Tatler Gen.T Summit 2023 in Hong Kong about the personal aspects of the sex tech industry.

Above Sextech advisor and investor Maaike Steinebach (Photo: Billy Chan)

On the needless shame of sex

“I wanted to change the world one orgasm at a time. I had a terrible sex education and that caused a lot of shame when I started to become sexually active. From there, I started to experience firsthand the impact that the shame had on my health, on my confidence and on my relationships. I saw the need for a better solution because when you have shame, you are also silent.

Now, we often use humour on [my podcast, Better in Bed] and I do that deliberately because that is an antidote to shame. When you can make something funny, it brings down the idea that something is intimidating or scary,” said Tang.

On how sex tech can empower women

“Apart from the fact that we should normalise the conversation on sex, it’s also an amazing business opportunity. When you work in a marginalised space like sex or women’s health, it is really important that there are people who can advocate for the marginalised.

I realised that in Asia as a whole, we have so much cultural stigma and taboo [around] sex in general. The way we can use sex tech is that to a certain extent, we can anonymise a lot of the interactions that we have, taking away the shame and the guilt [of taboo],” said Steinebach.

Above Moderator Karis Cheng with panellists Tang and Steinebach (Photo: Billy Chan)

On giving sex a voice

“We have to be brave. I now have to talk about topics that can be uncomfortable at times. Last night, I made a post on Instagram about BDSM, so not a very common topic, and not very easy to talk about. But it is part of our sexuality and it was so encouraging when someone sent me a message saying ‘Thank you for giving the community a voice, thank you for talking about this online’.

That was super motivational so even if it's not always easy to talk about sex in public, even if I can only help one person have a better sexual experience or sexual journey, I'm already going to be happy about it,” added Steinebach.

On finding community online

“Anybody who has Internet is now able to access sex education and I think that’s a great thing. Even marginalised communities can access sex education and that is very much needed. You also have a lot more content creators using digital platforms to make sex education engaging, fun and interesting.

“Internet and technology are also making a lot more safe spaces for people to find communities. It’s great because when you don’t have a good sex education, often you can feel very alone. I think the ability for people to find community is something technology has made a positive impact on,” shared Tang.

Above A summary of the discussion between Tang and Steinebach (Infographics: Thoth)

On the need for inclusive sex

Closing the session Steinebach shared, “There are so many things that I, as a heterosexual woman, don’t have to think about. There was somebody that was inventing sex toys for handicapped people and now, I never thought about that. But when you’re handicapped and don’t have the access or ability to have normal sex and you’re reliant on a sex worker, how amazing is it that there is a community that is designing toys for handicapped people?

It is amazing how inclusive we can all make this. Sometimes it makes me wonder, if we had better sex education and could communicate to boys and girls about how wonderful it is to have an amazing experience and sexual journey, how much misery and pain could we have avoided? There is so much to say for going back to the basics and making sure that we get sexuality and human sexual experience right.”

Read more articles from the Tatler Gen.T Summit 2023 or visit the official website for more information.

The Tatler Gen.T Summit is sponsored by Standard Chartered Private Bank, Mercedes-Benz Hong Kong and MTR Lab, organised in partnership with M+, Regent, Black Sheep and Cathay Pacific and supported by Brand Hong Kong, Hong Kong Tourism Board and InvestHK.

NOW READ

Basslines to blockchain: One musician’s journey to the financial frontier

Meet the Bubble Rangers: A new mobile game by Singapore-started Web3 project Imaginary Ones

Actress and singer Nadine Lustre embarks on new wine venture with Christophe Bariou

Topics

Tatler Gen.T Summit Hong Kong Event Innovation Health Wellness