Hot flushes and erratic mood swings—these are the two things that come to mind whenever I think about menopause, and I used to dread it as I think about growing older.
That was until I came across a clip from the Amazon Prime series Fleabag when a monologue by British actress Kristin Scott Thomas changed the way I think about it:
We have pain on a cycle for years and years and years, and then just when you feel you are making peace with it all, what happens? The menopause comes. The f***ing menopause comes and it is the most wonderful f***ing thing in the world.
Yes, your entire pelvic floor crumbles and you get f***ing hot and no one cares, but then you’re free. No longer a slave, no longer a machine with parts. You’re just a person. In business.
An excerpt from Kristin Scott Thomas’s monologue on menopause in Fleabag Series 2
But as empowering as the speech was, we cannot deny that the taboo surrounding menopause still remains, leaving some ladies to their own devices to deal with the physical and mental pains that come with it.
That said, it seems that Surety‘s founders, Valery Tan and Elmer Yap, have found a way to make it easier and less lonely for women to navigate the daunting changes.
Finding a niche
Surety first started in 2022 as part of a venture builder program at the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), where the founders had originally studied. The startup initially focused on general women’s health, particularly in the area of contraceptives.
However, Valery quickly realised that the field of contraceptives was saturated with many players, leaving her to find a more “distinct, unique selling point.”
It was also around that time that she learned that her mother hadn’t had her period for six months.
Concerned, Valery urged her mother to visit the doctor, and they soon found out that she was going through perimenopause, the transitional phase leading up to menopause—something that Valery barely knew anything about.
That conversation opened my eyes to how little is discussed about menopause, especially in Asia, where it’s often considered a taboo subject. My mum’s experience of mood swings, hot flashes, and other symptoms affected not only her but also our relationship, and that’s when I realised this topic needed more attention.
Valery Tan, co-founder of Surety
Valery then shared her experience with Elmer, spurring the latter to reflect on his own relationship with his mother.
His mother was also experiencing “midlife changes,” however, he realised that his “knowledge of menopause was inadequate,” making it difficult to start a conversation on the topic.
Recognising that menopause care was a “true blue ocean market” that remained largely unexplored and underserved, Valery and Elmer decided to invest S$10,000 of their personal savings to pivot Surety’s focus towards menopause care.
A platform, mobile app and festivals
Surety’s platform offers a variety of resources, including expert advice and curated content to assist women navigating perimenopause and menopause.
Their resources are also culturally relevant and personalised for women in Asia. In a separate interview with CNA Women, Valery brought up that most resources on menopause and perimenopause originated from Western countries, and the cultural nuances and specific challenges faced by Asian women were often missing.
“While medical professionals provide treatment, they often lack the time to dive into the holistic needs of midlife women, including emotional, social, and day-to-day challenges,” she added.
As an online platform, Surety’s goal is to bridge the gap by combining expert advice with peer support and insights.
Surety also reaches out to its audience through informative events, particularly through its Menopause Festival, which is its flagship event launched in November 2024.
According to the founders, the Menopause festival is “the first of its kind” in Asia. However, making the festival a reality was an ambitious plan—one that required the team to be meticulous in their pitches.
“One major obstacle was educating sponsors and stakeholders on the importance of menopause/midlife-related events. Convincing them required data-backed pitches and aligning the event’s goals with their CSR or ESG objectives,” shared Elmer.
He added that it was difficult to generate conversations about menopause among the younger audience, as they have not had the experience or actively taken notice of others going through the change.
But to their pleasant surprise, the festival was well-received, with over 150 individuals attending the festival last year, which was a mix of midlife women, medical professionals and partners.
Building on this momentum, the founders shared that they are looking to have more interactive sessions through workshops and Q&A panels for their upcoming festival in 2025.
Surety is also currently in the works of developing PausePlay, an all-in-one menopause and midlife care app that leverages artificial intelligence (AI), designed to be a comprehensive tool for women navigating the complexities of menopause.
Currently, the startup is “fine-tuning” some of PausePlay’s features to create a seamless experience for its users as they navigate through perimenopause and beyond. When asked when they plan for the app to be launched, both founders shared that they have their eye on the first quarter of 2025.
As the startup has yet to reach profitability, both Valery and Elmer are looking to establish Surety beyond Singapore, with a key focus on countries such as Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, to increase its user base and obtain a more sustainable revenue stream.
In fact, the startup will hold its Menopause Festival in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in October 2025 and is actively seeking local partners to curate products and services that resonate with the local audience.
It is scary to think about how much pain I might experience when I grow older, but with platforms like Surety around, menopause doesn’t seem like the terror that many make it out to be.
Featured Image Credit: Surety
