Tackling Menstrual Cup Hygiene and Period Poverty with Sophie Haccou | Ep. 165

One in eight women in the Netherlands must choose between food and tampons. Sophie Haccou bootstrapped CupHub to close that gap, and is about to launch the crowdfunding campaign that could take her full time. In this episode of Women Disrupting Tech, I talk with Sophie Haccou, co-founder of CupHub, about building a hardware startup from a university design project to a live crowdfunding campaign. Sophie and her co-founder Aart are developing Casey, a portable rinsing device that makes menstrual cups practical to use outside the home, and bootstrapped the company by waitressing at night while building it during the day. What you’ll learn in this episode: - Why one in eight women in the Netherlands have to choose between food and tampons, and how that defines period poverty - Why menstrual cups cost more upfront but save money over time, and why that upfront cost is the real barrier - Why almost no public toilet stall has a sink, and how that drives the design of Casey - Why VCs told Sophie and Aart it was too early for them, and how that pushed them toward crowdfunding instead - What Sophie’s 100,000 euro crowdfunding goal will fund, and what changes at the 200,000 euro stretch goal - How bootstrapping meant working nights as a waitress while building CupHub during the day - Why Sophie’s dream is to tackle period poverty beyond the Netherlands, including an early conversation about testing Casey in Kenya Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 04:50 Introduction to Sophie Haccou and CupHub 08:47 Development of Casey, the portable menstrual cup rinser 12:51 Designing user-friendly and sustainable menstrual products 16:51 Business model: crowdfunding and social impact partnerships 18:50 Material safety and standards for menstrual cups 20:42 Future prospects: diagnostics and FemTech innovations 22:41 Global expansion and impact in developing countries 24:49 The role of community in breaking taboos 26:51 Crowdfunding strategy and investor engagement 28:50 Partnerships with food banks and NGOs 30:58 Access to clean water and sterilization in different regions 32:50 The importance of education in schools about menstruation 34:56 The social and health impact of menstrual products 36:57 The future of FemTech and diagnostics 38:43 Advice for female founders and entrepreneurs 40:49 Building a community and sharing experiences 42:43 Expanding internationally and future goals 44:52 Funding strategies and business sustainability 46:43 The role of men in menstrual health awareness 48:52 Closing thoughts and how to support CupHub More about this episode: Blog: https://womendisruptingtech.blog/2026/08/13/episode-165/ Substack: https://womendisruptingtech.substack.com/p/episode-165 Connect with Sophie Haccou and CupHub: Crowdfunding campaign: crowdaboutnow.nl/campaign/CupHub LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cuphub/ Instagram: @CupHubOfficial Website: CupHub.net More about the TEDx Coolhaven Women event on 9 October in Rotterdam More about the event: https://www.ted.com/tedx/events/68333 Buy your tickets at: https://www.eventbrite.nl/e/tedx-coolhaven-women-the-new-builders-tickets-1992166654090?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true Use code WDT25 for an exclusive 25% discount. Connect with host Dirkjan Hupkes LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dirkjan-hupkes/ FundingCoach.ai: https://fundingcoach.ai Substack: https://womendisruptingtech.substack.com/ About Women Disrupting Tech Every week, Women Disrupting Tech covers the decisions, patterns, and structural realities that female founders and investors rarely discuss in public but run into every time they meet. Follow to get it in your feed. 🎧 Also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music or YouTube. 👉 Subscribe for more conversations with women building hardware companies from the ground up.