March 17, 2025 Breaking News, Latest News, and Videos

Santa Monica Menstrual Health Company Wins $40k Westly Prize

Capd Period’s flagship product is the CapdCup, the first menstrual cup customers can use without removing the device from their body

By Keemia Zhang

Capd Period, a sustainable menstrual health company based in Santa Monica, has won the 2023 Westly Prize for $40,000, given to “young social innovators” in California who come up with “innovative solutions to significant global challenges.”

Hannah Wilen, CEO, founded Capd Period with Neil Batya, COO, in January 2022, with a mission to provide health products “designed by women, for women”, Wilen says. Capd Period’s flagship product is the CapdCup, the first menstrual cup customers can use without removing the device from their body.  

Wilen notes that approximately 12 billion pads and 7 billion tampons are discarded each year – and take 500-800 years to fully decompose in garbage dumps. “One person can dispose around 400 pounds of period packaging in their lifetime”, says the company.

Traditional, reusable menstrual cups made of silicone or latex have long been considered an eco-friendly, easily accessible alternative, but are typically “difficult to use – especially in public.” Wilen says, pointing out that their use of clean water to empty and wash out the device after each use is inconvenient for women in public restrooms and entirely “unfeasible” for women in developing countries. 

Wilen grew up in West Los Angeles, and attended Harvard-Westlake School before studying at Duke University in North Carolina. Wilen attained a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and a Master’s degree in Business Analytics. After graduation, Wilen “talked to hundreds of women” when conceiving the idea, crafting the prototypes in her own at-home studio with a 3D printer..

As a woman of color, Wilen recalls she was a rarity in the classroom, and often “the only female engineer in a room of male engineers.” She also found that when male investors often found it “difficult to understand ” the plight of women’s menstrual health when it was pitched to them, and often were not familiar with what a menstrual cup was. “There has been little innovation in these spaces, historically.” Wilen states. 

The CapdCup, made of hypoallergenic, medical-grade silicone, works as a normal menstrual cup does, but can be emptied by unscrewing a cap at the bottom while using the restroom for easy use. The cup is reusable for up to 10 years, and lasts for up to 12 hours of continuous wear. CapdCup was also designed specifically for women with heavy periods, who would otherwise have to change their regular cups up to five times a day.

Wilen plans to eventually provide a slate of holistic health products for women’s use, in line with the company’s  “aim to revolutionize” the industry of menstrual care, and desire to “make periods more manageable for women everywhere.” Capd Period, a pending B-corp, also provides educational resources and awareness on their Instagram and Tiktok pages (@CapdPeriod), answering common questions and giving personal care tips to their followers.

<>Related Posts

Palisades Land Market Lags Behind Altadena in Sales

March 17, 2025

March 17, 2025

The market trends indicate that demand for land in the Palisades remains cautious, with buyers weighing rebuilding costs and the...

Santa Monica Expands Behavioral Health Services to Address Growing Crisis

March 17, 2025

March 17, 2025

The council’s actions stem from a 2022 directive to develop a behavioral health strategy, prompted by increasing demands for mental...

Bringing Literature to Life: Literati Events Announces Quarterly Event Series

March 16, 2025

March 16, 2025

Alice in Wonderland Themed Vendor Market and Show Coming Soon By Susan Payne On a mission to bring literature to...

America’s Wealthiest 0.1% Could Buy Every Home in the 25 Largest U.S. Cities

March 16, 2025

March 16, 2025

New Redfin Report Reveals Disparity as People Struggle to Buy and Rent Homes The wealthiest 1% of Americans now have...

California Insurance Chief Conditionally Approves Rate Hikes, But State Farm Must Face Public Hearing

March 16, 2025

March 16, 2025

Commissioner Lara Presses State Farm to Justify Rate Hikes and Halt Policy Cancellations In response to the ongoing insurance crisis...

Your Guide to Free Museum Weekend: 30 SoCal Museums Waiving Admission Fees

March 14, 2025

March 14, 2025

Explore Art, History, and Culture for Free as Museums Across LA Open Their Doors Art and history lovers in Southern...

Mayor Bass’ Text Messages Deleted Amid Pacific Palisades Fire Response Scrutiny

March 13, 2025

March 13, 2025

Public Records Requests Reveal That Mayor Bass’ Phone Auto-Deletes Messages On January 7, as powerful winds and dry conditions fueled...

Venice Art Crawl Opens Registration for March 20 Event

March 13, 2025

March 13, 2025

Organizers encourage artists of all disciplines to sign up before the deadline Registration is now open for the upcoming Venice...

Sen. Ben Allen to be Honored at ‘Stairway of the Stars’ Concert in Santa Monica

March 13, 2025

March 13, 2025

The concert, now in its 74th year, features nearly 900 students from elementary, middle, and high schools across the SMMUSD...

Palisades High School Band to Perform at Hollywood Bowl to Honor First Responders

March 13, 2025

March 13, 2025

Titled WE ❤️ LA, the event will feature a program spanning classical, jazz, and iconic film scores The Palisades Charter...

Santa Monica College President Honored as 2025 Woman of the Year for Assembly District 51

March 13, 2025

March 13, 2025

Her tenure has focused on expanding access to education for underrepresented communities Santa Monica College Superintendent and President Dr. Kathryn...

Film Review: Mickey 17

March 13, 2025

March 13, 2025

MICKEY 17Rated R137 MinutesReleased March 7th Mickey 17 plays like a journey, a momentous journey, to another planet.  It’s 2054,...

Baltaire Celebrates 10 Years with a ‘Decade of Decadence’ Anniversary Bash On Saturday

March 13, 2025

March 13, 2025

Brentwood’s Iconic Steakhouse Marked a Milestone With an Unforgettable Night of Fine Dining Last Saturday night was the official party...

Three Charged in FEMA Fraud Scheme Following California Wildfires

March 13, 2025

March 13, 2025

Fraud related to disaster benefits carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison Three individuals, including two from...

(Video) Baltaire’s Amazing 10th Anniversary Party

March 13, 2025

March 13, 2025

The Greek Salad prepared table side. Bluefin Toro with Crispy Rice, wasabi, spicy mayo, pickled ginger. Chateaubriand, 16 oz, with...