Rowan, a new ear piercing startup, just raised $4m in seed funding to make more holes in teenage girl ears. Even better, subscribers can cringe in pain from the comfort of their own home.
The 3-in-1 D2C, on-demand subscription service, which targets girls between the ages of 7 and 14 (and their parents, let’s be honest) allows customers to book a licensed nurse who will come to their home to do the piercing.
Licensed — as in medically? Or as in ex-Claire’s employees?
The company has a network of freelance registered nurses in its piercing stable who, according to Rowan’s founder, Louisa Schneider, also serve as “brand ambassadors.”
The nurses show up in white Rowan coats and provide all the equipment necessary — minus the piercing guns which, according to the Association of Professional Piercers, are known to increase the risk of infection.
Fun for the whole gang
“It’s a rite of passage that transcends cultures and religion,” Schneider told Fast Company. “It’s one that typically brings multiple generations of women from a family together. But we have somehow relegated it to a mall.”
There you have it, folks. A utilitarian product with a spiritual component. Rowan is going to fit quite nicely into the Silicon Valley mold.