Lauren Goode

Recent Posts by Lauren Goode

True&Co Aims to Be the Bonobos of the Bra World (Video)

It has been said that women in tech could use more support.

Two entrepreneurs have taken that quite literally, launching a lingerie Web site that uses a formula to help women get the perfect bra fit without even having to try anything on.

During the D10 conference today, True&Co co-founders Aarthi Ramamurthy and Michelle Lam showed off how women can buy bras without having to deal with dressing room try-ons — and without needing to use a measuring tape.

Potential bra buyers can take a quick quiz and fill out personal information, including the size of the customer’s current best-fitting bra, technical fit questions (such as, “Does your cup runneth over?”), the perceived shape of the customer’s breasts and “psychological body image” questions. Bra recommendations, drawn from True&Co’s inventory of items that match more than 2,000 different body types, are then offered, based on the customer’s input.

Much like the way that Warby Parker eyewear offers free at-home try-ons, True&Co customers will receive five free bras to try on at home, and can then purchase any of the bras or return any or all at no cost. The customer picks three of the bras, while the site’s recommendation system selects two.

Every bra on the Web site costs less than $50; underwear starts around $15. (Lucky conferencegoers are getting a thong in their D10 conference swag bags. You’re welcome, guys.)

True&Co joins the ranks of companies like Bonobos, which sells better-fitting pants for men; J. Hilburn; and another female-focused start-up called Quincy Apparel, which factors bra sizes into women’s suit designs, much in the way men buy suits based on their inseam, waist size and arm length.

“The bra-shopping experience is probably one of the most uncomfortable shopping experiences a woman can have,” Lam said onstage, noting that 80 percent of women are wearing the wrong bra size. “So we decided to change that with some technology.”

The company first formed in October, and officially launches its service today to coincide with the D10 demo. It has received a total of $2 million in funding from First Round Capital, SoftTechVC, SoftBank Capital, Aileen Lee and former LinkedIn executive Ellen Levy.

Lam and Ramamurthy said that around 500 customers have visited the site and taken the bra quiz so far.

If you’re curious to see how, exactly, this company plans to revolutionize buying over-the-shoulder-boulder-holders, check out the video below:

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