Emma Sayle

Founder and CEO, The Wearekk brands which includes Killing Kittens, Safedate, Sistr and The Sisterhood

London

In 2005 there was nowhere women could go to feel in control and explore their sexuality in a safe environment, so Emma created Killing Kittens. KK has grown in to a fierce army of over 120,000 sexually liberated people around the world, through events hosted from New York to Venice to Sydney on top of a global online community platform. Popular press regularly pronounces Emma a leader in female sexual liberation and empowerment.

When Emma started Killing Kittens 14 years ago, she wanted to create a brand that stood for women and want they wanted. Greater awareness of female sexuality and sexual freedom was slowly becoming more socially and commercially acceptable, but there was still a long way to go in an industry that claimed to be for women but run almost exclusively run by men. She knew that to empower women sexually, it had to be with a business that put them first.

She understands that a successful business can’t be built without a passion and a team who believes in it just as much, and that one must have fire in the belly to take on an industry that is almost universally run by men, like the adult and ‘sex-tech’ industries.

Unfortunately, there is still a huge amount of bias and misconceptions to address, but Emma has never once doubted her belief to lead the business and keep pushing the boundaries. It is true, sadly, that sexual discrimination is still alive and kicking in many sectors, across all levels, and many women struggle to be treated with the respect they deserve. She has learned that the best way to deal with the negativity is to stick to the facts, stick to the evidence; track your achievements, demonstrate your successes and let the facts and figures do the talking.

In 2018, she led the business through a funding round. The first ever public crowdfund for an adult sector brand of this nature and closed the round at 118% overfunded. Recently, the second funding round closed completely funded in just four days.

The Wearekk portfolio of brands, including Killing Kittens, now also includes Sistr, a dedicated platform for women to connect, share and learn from one another, plus Safedate, an app for anyone wanting to stay safe whilst online dating.

Emma also founded The Sisterhood, boasting Ordinary girls who do extraordinary things. Since launching in 2006 to Dragonboat across the English Channel (gaining a World Record), The Sisterhood has clocked up an incredible number of challenges – most recently taking on the challenge of swimming the English Channel and prior to that, taking on the Speed Project; 340 miles of crazy non-stop ultra-relay running from LA to Las Vegas. Before that they took on The Amazon Raft Race, Bosphorus swim, Costa Rica coast-to-coast race, Kilimanjaro, and many more challenges. The Sisterhood, to date, has raised over £1million for various amazing charities.