Blood, sweat and—corn? The Singaporean menstrual health startup rewriting the rules with plant-based pads

“Compared to my peers, I got my period pretty late. I was around 12 at the time,” the co-founder recounts. She still remembers the day it arrived—not because it was a moment of significance, but because it was barely acknowledged at all. In her traditional household, periods weren’t something people talked about. Not her mother, not her older sister, not anyone.

When the time came, she was left to figure things out on her own. “I was clueless,” she says. There was no guidance, no reassuring words, just the quiet realisation that she needed a product—fast. She rummaged through her mother’s wardrobe and grabbed whatever was there. That was how she made her choice, not based on comfort or preference, but simply by default. It wasn’t until much later that she learned this was common. Many people just used whatever their mothers had, never questioning if there was something better.

The product didn’t feel right. It was uncomfortable, awkward and unsuited to her needs. “I didn’t feel comfortable [using the pad], but I didn’t speak up or talk to my mum about it. I just dealt with the discomfort. I didn’t have the resource or knowledge to say, ‘Can I choose a different pad brand?’” Tan shares.

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So, she endured the unease, the way so many others did: silently and without questions. This silence extended to the severe, crippling cramps that came with her period. “My deepest memory about periods was not so much the bleeding, it was the painful menstrual cramps. They were a common recurrence for me. It was a harsh introduction to something that would be part of my life for decades. 

“I remember one time when I had really bad cramps. I was in a lecture hall and had to take the bus back to my dorm. I almost fainted on the bus. When I got back to my dorm, I was all alone and was about to faint. Thankfully, my neighbour saw me and asked what happened. She gave me some painkillers and took care of me for the day. The bad cramps didn’t just happen once. I’ve even had passengers on the MRT give up their seats for me when they saw the look on my face,” says Tan.

Looking back, Tan realises how isolating her experience was. Her period was not something she understood; it was just something that happened to her. Conversations with friends about menstruation came much later. Even then, they were casual, surface-level exchanges, never the kind of open, informed discussion that could have made things easier. 

She never imagined that her pain and frustration would plant the seeds to one day shaping her career. That changed when she was in university.

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Tan first met her co-founder Leow while enrolled in an entrepreneurship module as an undergraduate at the National University of Singapore (NUS). She was also part of the NUS Overseas Colleges (NOC) programme during her time at the institution. There, she watched firsthand as entrepreneurs built products that disrupted industries. She was fascinated by their drive, their ability to take an idea and turn it into something real.

After graduation, Tan joined NUS Enterprise, the entrepreneurial arm of the university. For three to four years, she worked closely with founders, helping to build the ecosystem that nurtured new businesses. She met countless entrepreneurs, listened to their stories and learned from their successes and failures. Inspired by the entrepreneurs she met, she caught the startup bug too. 

She dug deep and thought about the business idea she would pursue. The answer was obvious: menstrual care. It was the pain that had defined so many of her worst days, the problem she wished someone had already solved. 

Read more: Why you should skip the painkillers and try alternate fixes for period pain

Leow joined her and it took multiple attempts for Blood to get its first product, MenstruHeat, a heat pad for cramps, right.

“When we first started, the only heat patches on the market for menstrual cramps were medicated ones, made with chemicals. Sometimes, they would sting. So, we wanted a natural heating method. We were inspired by the winter heat patches and formulated it to make sure that the heating curve was suitable for period cramps,” shares Tan. “That’s how our MenstruHeat product was born.

“I studied biomedical sciences, so I knew about the science behind the product, but I had never done manufacturing before. Our first batch of heat pads—rectangular in shape—were all crumpled from shipping. We had to straighten every single piece before selling it,” Tan recalls.

Despite the setback, the co-founders pressed on. To allow potential customers to see and feel the product for themselves, Tan and Leow turned to pop‐ups and events. The responses were overwhelming—and surprising. “People who saw the product wouldn’t even ask for the price. They said, ‘I didn’t know this existed. I need this.’ That was when we realised we were onto something,” says Tan. “No matter how bad the shape [of the product], people were willing to buy it.”  

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After being successful with the heat patch and establishing a retail presence, Tan and her team then had to decide on the company’s focus: pain relief or period care. Potential investors asked questions that helped them gain more clarity on the company’s identity and vision.

Tan explains, “One of my mentors, James from Quest Ventures, also asked when we would be able to hit profitability. That really forced us to think about where we wanted to bring the company. Could we sustain ourselves with what we were currently doing or were we planning for the future?”

Ultimately, they decided to firmly position themselves as the latter focused on period care, which then led the company to expand the product line beyond just the heat patch.

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Blood went through an extensive R&D process to develop its corn-based sanitary pads. The team tried out various sustainable materials like organic cotton, bamboo and lyocell before settling on corn, which dovetailed performance, hypoallergenic qualities and sustainability.

“I told the team that if we couldn’t R&D a product that I personally use, we wouldn’t launch. When I first tried the corn pads, I had an ‘aha’ moment. The first words out of my mouth were, ‘Wow it feels airy.’ It was comfortable and it absorbed my [menstrual] blood,” Tan shares candidly. 

Today, with more than 15 million units sold, Blood’s corn pads are the company’s best-sellers. Its products are available not just in Singapore, but also in Malaysia and Indonesia. Aligned with its mission to make periods better for all, Blood has product ranges that cover pain relief—the original MenstruHeat has sister products like NeckHeat and BackHeat—corn pads and menstrual cups. 

The launch of five cute characters named the Period Squad in February 2025 marks their next big step. The five characters are aptly named Paddy, Spotty, Moody, Sleepy and Crampy, with the latter four representing the common symptoms of menstruation. The accompanying campaign and its catchy music video aim to validate and educate people about the “not-so-cute aspects” of menstruation. 

In May 2023, Blood raised S$2 million in its Series A round led by DSG Consumer Partners and returning investor AngelCentral. In 2024, the same investor group led a seven-figure Series B round. The additional funding will help Blood go deeper into their existing markets and potentially expand into new Southeast Asian markets. 

As the company looks to the future, expanding into new markets and exploring more accessible options for period poverty, Tan’s focus on staying close to her consumers and continuously adapting to their evolving needs will be crucial to cementing Blood as a trusted, household brand that empowers women throughout their menstrual journeys.

Below, we ask the co-founder a series of quickfire questions.

What did you believe five years ago that you know now not to be true?

Tan Peck Ying (PY): I didn’t think we could build the company to such a scale. In the past, our vision was a lot smaller but now that we’ve stretched our potential, we know we can go a lot further.

Describe yourself in three words.

PY: Always pushing boundaries.

What’s the best advice you have received as a founder?

PY: This came from Sameer Mehta, who sits on our company board. Early on in our journey, we had footprints in multiple countries. Tiny footprints, to be honest. He asked us if we wanted to have a 1 per cent market share in 10 markets or a 5 per cent market share in two markets. If we manage to capture 5 per cent of the market, we are building a brand versus the former scenario where we would be a distributor. That got us thinking about what we wanted as a company, what our DNA is and what we wanted to achieve. 

How do you define success?

PY: Success is not a milestone. You are successful if you can be fully present in what you do. As long as you feel present and truly enjoy what you do, you are successful.

This article is part of Founder Stories, a series dedicated to discovering the untold stories and challenges of today’s entrepreneurs on their climb to the top.

Meet more Gen.T Leaders of Tomorrow in Healthcare & Sciences, who are shaping the future of Asia. 

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