“Our technology is completely different from anything else on the market.”

When start-up Lora DiCarlo launched their first product last November, it quickly became a runaway success. Osé, as the product was called, generated more than three million dollars in sales within just a few weeks. Now, US-based Lora DiCarlo bring us more sex tech goodness in the form of Baci and Onda, a terrific twosome of interesting ideas. Of course, they share some of the same DNA as Osé, but they are geared toward new customer groups, as Sarah Brown, Lora DiCarlo’s Director of Sales and Marketing, explains in our EAN interview.

Lora DiCarlo used the recent CES to introduce two new products: Baci and Onda. Before we talk more about them, how did the first months go for your debut product, Osé?
Sarah Brown: We actually just launched our presale of Osé in November, and it has been extremely successful. We generated $3 million just in 2019, with more than $1 million in pre-sales within just five hours of launch and $1.5m in the first 36 hours of launch. We’ve just begun shipping product direct to consumers and have had great feedback.

Since you have just shown your latest products at CES, how have the events surrounding CES 2019 influenced the popularity and sales of Osé in your opinion?
The feedback we’ve received from the community and from the tech space has been fantastic. All the work we put in this past year, working with CES to change the rules of the show, the focus we put on finalising Osé and the research that went into it, have been very worthwhile. People were so happy to see us at the show and see that sex tech is finally getting recognition in the health and wellness space.

Let’s talk about your new products, Baci first. On your website, you say that it “simulates the feel of the human mouth and tongue through the use of biomimicry and microrobotics”. Why was it important for you to bring such a clitoral stimulator to the market?
Most people with vaginas cannot orgasm from penetration alone, most require clitoral stimulation and one of the most successful techniques for stimulation is oral sex. We want to give people as many options as possible for finding and owning their pleasure, that’s why we are offering products like Baci and Onda.

Without giving too much away: How does this work on a technical level? Is the technology you use different from other clitoral suction products on the market?
We can’t share too much about this, but yes, it is using similar technology to what is inside Osé. Our technology is completely different from anything else on the market, and it currently has patents pending.

Onda on the other hand is a G-Spot stimulator. How does this product work?
Onda also uses some of the same technology that is in Osé, in this case focusing on the come-hither motion over the G-spot. But after some user feedback we also added a rumbly vibrator that can be controlled separately from the G-spot stimulator – you can turn one feature on or both, it’s up to you. Again, our goal is to give people options around their pleasure and truly create products that our customers see missing in the space, so a lot of our work comes with research and testing.

There have been several G-Spot stimulators that rely on the “come hither” motion for stimulation. Do you think we are seeing the start of an industry-wide trend here and Lora DiCarlo is among the pioneers?
I definitely think people are looking for new ways to create new sensations and stimulate the body in different ways. I hope we can start a trend of finding out what’s missing and creating completely new technology to achieve it.

How much of Osé is in Baci and Onda?
Quite a bit! We got a lot of feedback in our Osé user testing that people would love to see the technology split up, so there are more options available and other ways to use the products. Not everyone loves G-spot stimulation and not everyone loves clitoral stimulation – so it was important to us that those people still had access to the sensations that biomimicry has to offer. Both Onda and Baci have also won separate CES Innovation Awards in 2020.

Why did you choose to bring these two products to the market instead of, say, a vibrator? How do they fit into Lora DiCarlo’s company profile?
Vibrators definitely have their place, there’s a reason that they are so popular – they work for a lot of people. But in our case, Lora DiCarlo is focused on creating products that can mimic human touch – and humans don’t vibrate (at least not yet). We’re focused on developing new technologies across many different categories, not just pleasure. And of course, we did include a vibration function with Onda specifically because our users felt it would be a good combination of sensations – and unsurprisingly it is!

Right now, your company has numerous patents pending to protect your intellectual property. Counterfeits and knock-off products have been a huge issue in the erotic industry for some time. How do you see the developments in the industry in this respect and do you feel well-prepared to defend the fruits of your work?
I think copies and knock offs are always a risk when it comes to good products, so it’s not surprising to see that also happen in the pleasure products space. As for our IP, from the beginning Lora DiCarlo has always focused on finding our own path, hence all of the research and user testing. Our goal is always to do something new, and that’s reflected in the work we’ve put into our IP – that’s not going to stop anytime soon and yes, we are prepared to enforce our IP vigorously.

When will the new products be available and how much will they cost?
Baci and Onda will be available by April 2020, MAP pricing for Baci is $160 USD and Onda is $180 USD.  Retailers can reach out to sales@loradicarlo.com for more info on wholesale costs and distribution.

Where can retailers in Europe get the new products to offer them in their stores?
Right now we are still finalising our European distribution and B2B roll out, so the best thing do you is to sign up for Lora DiCarlo’s B2B newsletter for all the latest updates here: https://loradicarlo.com/retailers.

Will we have to wait until CES 2021 to see more products from Lora DiCarlo? What are your plans for the coming months?
We’re already planning several product launches for the summer and fall, so you won’t have to wait until CES 2021! The next few months will be focused on supporting Osé, Onda, and Baci, along with engaging with our customers (both B2C and B2B). We want to make sure we’re meeting their needs, so continuing to research and determine what products and resources are really going to help people own their pleasure.