As part of StartupTalky’s International Women’s Day series, we explore conversations that are often left unspoken. While the global sexual wellness industry is projected to surpass $100 billion, discussions around intimacy and emotional well-being remain taboo for many women in India.
In this interview, Joyal Abraham shares how Inticure is using technology to break stigma, make sexual wellness care more accessible, and reshape the future of the industry.
“India Once Spoke Openly About Intimacy”
StartupTalky: Why do you believe sexual and emotional wellness is still whispered about in India, and how is inticure working to change that narrative, especially for women?
Joyal Abraham: Sadly, sexual and emotional wellness was not always something India whispered about. In fact, our civilization once spoke about it openly. Our ancient texts, like the Kamasutra, written around the 3rd or 4th century, were not merely about eroticism but about the psychology of relationships, intimacy, and human connection.
India always had a culture that understood the importance of balancing intimacy, responsibility, and purpose.
The shift came much later during the Victorian era or British Colonial era, when a more conservative attitude towards sexuality was imposed. Once, natural conversations slowly became immoral. In many ways, India did not lose its voice, but was silenced.
And if we question whether sexual and emotional wellness is still whispered today, the answer lies in everyday realities.
When sanitary napkins are still wrapped in black covers or newspapers, it quietly signals shame. When many women hesitate to express their needs in intimacy for fear of bruising a partner’s ego, it reflects a deeper imbalance. When women still don’t know the difference between a vagina and a vulva, it shows how disconnected we are from even fully knowing our own bodies.
This is the silence that inticure is working to change.
inticure offers a safe, private, and judgment-free platform where individuals can seek support for sexual and emotional concerns without stigma.
Interestingly, many of the patients who reach out to us are women. For us, that is both reassuring and hopeful as it suggests that women are beginning to reclaim their voice again.
Perhaps what we are witnessing is not something entirely new, but a return to something India once knew well: the courage to speak openly about intimacy, health, and human connection. It’s like returning home.
Empowerment Starts With Understanding Your Own Body
StartupTalky: Empowerment cannot be complete without conversations around intimacy, consent, and boundaries. How does inticure address these often-ignored aspects of women’s well-being?
Joyal Abraham: For a long time, women’s health conversations in India focused mostly on pregnancy or reproductive health. But empowerment also means understanding one’s own body, comfort, boundaries, and being able to say, “this feels right, and this doesn’t feel right.”
You can be a boss managing a team of 500, but if you can’t tell your partner, “This hurts,” or “I don’t want to do this tonight,” you aren’t really empowered.
Growing up, many of us heard two words that quietly shaped our destiny as women: “Thoda adjust.” And somewhere along the way, it taught us to put ourselves last while prioritizing everyone else.
At inticure, our doctors and coaches actively un-teach this. Whether a woman is dealing with painful intercourse (Vaginismus) or a massive communication block in her marriage, our approach gives her the tools to speak up.
Most clinics ask, “What is wrong with your body?”
We ask, “Who do you want to be in this relationship?”
We help women set boundaries so that intimacy becomes a choice and not a core.
As we believe in the idea “Seekhega India, Tabhi To Apnayega India” — India will embrace change only when our women first learn about it. Awareness and education must come before acceptance.
Building Trust in a Space Where People Feel Hesitant
StartupTalky: As a medtech startup in the sexual wellness space, what unique challenges have you faced in building awareness and trust around your products and services?
Joyal Abraham: The challenges are many, but the biggest one isn’t technology; it’s hesitation.
People are curious about these topics, yet nervous to talk about them openly. Searching in incognito mode at 2:00 a.m. often feels easier than speaking to a specialist.
We realized early on that real work was building trust, especially with people who have been conditioned to feel embarrassed about seeking help.
That meant focusing on three things: medical credibility, privacy, and empathy.
At inticure, we approach every interaction with empathy and absolute respect for privacy. We built a fully secure, legally compliant telehealth platform where people can consult specialists from the comfort of their homes.
There are no awkward waiting rooms where you might bump into some nosy aunty, but just you, your screen, and qualified experts helping you navigate your concerns with complete confidentiality.
There are also unexpected challenges. Even running a simple educational ad about women’s libido can sometimes get flagged by algorithms as inappropriate content.
Many people come to us after trying random remedies, advice from friends, or questionable products. Our role is to gently replace confusion with evidence-based care.
The encouraging part is that attitudes are slowly changing.
The Hidden Impact of Silence on Confidence and Leadership
StartupTalky: How does silence around intimacy and emotional wellness quietly affect women’s confidence, leadership, and mental health in their personal and professional lives?
Joyal Abraham: It drains you. It creates self-doubt. Period.
You cannot bring your best, most confident self to a 10 AM pitch meeting if you spent the previous night staring at the ceiling, feeling totally disconnected from your partner or your own body.
The mental load of pretending everything is "fine" at home is exhausting. It can affect sleep, mood, confidence, and even how you show up at work.
When a woman loses her connection to her own desires, she often loses a bit of her voice. It breeds resentment and self-doubt.
When we help a woman reclaim her intimate life, whether through a gynecologist fixing a hormonal issue or a Tarot coach breaking a communication barrier, we see her confidence skyrocket everywhere else.
The bedroom and the boardroom are more connected than we would like to admit.
Health, confidence, and leadership are more connected than we sometimes realize.
Why Sexual Wellness Must Be Part of Women’s Empowerment
StartupTalky: This Women’s Day, what message would you like to share about why sexual and emotional wellness should be a priority in the broader conversation around women’s empowerment?
Joyal Abraham: My message is simple: Stop settling for the “roommate phase.”
Stop accepting the lie that intimacy has to be a high-pressure task, a duty, or something that just naturally fades away after marriage or kids.
Your sexual and emotional wellness is the foundation of your vitality.
You deserve joy, you deserve pleasure, and you deserve a relationship that makes you feel alive.
Don't settle for an oh no when you absolutely deserve an OH YES!, which is our tagline as well, “oh no, OH YES!”
Using Technology to Break the Stigma
StartupTalky: How is inticure leveraging technology and research to make sexual wellness more accessible, safe, and stigma-free for women across India?
Joyal Abraham: In India, privacy isn’t just a feature; it’s a lifeline.
Technology allows us to deliver world-class medical excellence directly to a woman's smartphone, behind closed doors.
We’ve built a secure digital ecosystem where a woman can take our "Vibe Check" to understand if her issue is physical or emotional and immediately book a video consultation with a medical doctor or a certified specialist.
By putting the clinic in the palm of her hand, we use technology to remove the two biggest barriers to care in India: geography and embarrassment.
Advice for Women Building Startups in Taboo Industries
StartupTalky: What advice would you give to women entrepreneurs entering taboo-breaking industries like sexual wellness, and how can the ecosystem better support them?
Joyal Abraham: First, be prepared for raising eyebrows, unsolicited jokes, or polite silence.
When you work in spaces that society has avoided discussing, curiosity and skepticism come together.
The very people who change the subject in public are the ones who will privately message you later asking for help.
So, just hold your ground in empathy and credibility, listen to people; their stories will guide your direction better than any business plan.
As for the ecosystem, investors and platforms need to stop treating startups in this space like "fringe" businesses and recognize us for what we are: essential healthcare.
To anyone building this space, you aren't just building a company; you are breaking a generational curse.
Keep making progress; it's a long way to go.
StartupTalky- Business News, Insights and StoriesSakshi Jadhav
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