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Olivia Cotes-James
EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women™ Asia-Pacific Class of 2025
Founder and CEO, LUÜNA, Greater China
Olivia Cotes-James is the founder and CEO of LUÜNA, a Hong Kong-based company working to ensure menstruation is never a barrier to gender equality. LUÜNA manufactures sustainable menstrual products, including organic cotton pads, tampons, and reusable alternatives, which they supply to large-scale B2B customers across Asia to provide as free washroom amenities in workplaces, schools and beyond. A portion of every partnership helps fund the distribution of free products to local communities affected by period poverty.
LUÜNA was founded in 2019 and has its presence across Greater China, Singapore and new Asia markets launching soon. Olivia Cotes-James, in her mid-20s and living in Hong Kong, became acutely aware of the significant impact of menstrual challenges on women's lives. This realization led her to explore the gender health gap, a pressing social issue. Initially driven by her own frustration at the status quo, rather than entrepreneurial ambition, Olivia's journey took a turn when she moved to Shanghai in 2015 and began engaging with a community on WeChat to discuss menstrual health.
This community engagement laid the groundwork for LUÜNA, which Olivia transitioned from a grassroots movement to an impact-driven business. Overcoming funding hurdles and societal stigmas, she launched a business which focuses both on the environmental aspects of menstrual equity, through the creation of producing sustainable menstrual product alternatives, but also the social aspects, by working with the world’s leading organizations to make period products freely accessible in washrooms. Today, you can find free LUÜNA products in over 2,000 corporate washrooms across the region, a number that’s growing larger by the day.
This work has positioned the company as a leading social impact business in Asia. Honored with the 2023 Cartier Women’s Initiative Grant and named Asia FemTech Thought Leader of the Year 2023, Olivia also made Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2021. She is committed to eliminating period poverty and fostering social change by advocating for a stigma-free, equitable future.
LUÜNA's vision is a world where menstruation is never a barrier to gender equality. By integrating the provision of free LUÜNA menstrual products into workplaces, schools and communities across Asia, LUÜNA aims to break period stigma, combat period poverty and support individuals to live healthier lives.