Venture Catalysts has exited its stake in women’s hygiene and wellness brand Pee Safe after nearly nine years, securing a return of almost 9.6x on its initial investment. The exit, enabled by a fresh $32 million (about ₹291 crore) round led by healthcare-focused private equity firm OrbiMed, underscores growing investor confidence in India’s direct-to-consumer (D2C) and personal hygiene sectors.
Patient capital rewarded
Venture Catalysts was an early backer of Pee Safe and held its position through the company’s formative years. During this period, Pee Safe scaled production, broadened its product portfolio and strengthened its brand presence across India, enabling the investor to realise substantial gains on liquidity provided by the recent funding round.
Pee Safe’s expansion and market positioning
Pee Safe first gained consumer traction with toilet-seat sanitizers and later diversified into menstrual hygiene, intimate care, grooming and sexual wellness. The company pursued an omnichannel strategy, selling via e-commerce platforms as well as offline retail partners, which helped it reach a wider customer base beyond urban centres.
Post-pandemic shifts in consumer behaviour, greater awareness of hygiene, and improving unit economics contributed to robust revenue growth and made the business attractive to late-stage investors focused on healthcare and consumer staples.
Implications for the startup ecosystem
The nearly 10x exit for Venture Catalysts signals that sustained, patient investments can yield strong returns in India’s startup landscape. Such exits are important for validating venture strategies, recycling capital into new startups and encouraging further early-stage investments in consumer health and hygiene categories.
With OrbiMed’s investment, Pee Safe is expected to accelerate product innovation and geographic expansion. For Venture Catalysts, this successful exit adds to a growing track record that could help attract founders and limited partners seeking experienced early-stage backers.
