Joanna Griffiths

This founder closed a $53M funding round 3 days before giving birth to twins.

In 2013, Joanna Griffiths created leakproof underwear.

1 in 3 women leak when they laugh, sneeze, or run.

80% experience leaks during their period.

85% wear the wrong bra size.

And almost no one was talking about it.

So Griffiths dove into digital anthropology: forums, comment threads, surveys, real customer conversations.

And what she kept hearing was simple: intimates weren’t designed for real life.

And most brands made women feel bad about their bodies.

So she launched Knix.

She started selling through retailers.

Hudson’s Bay was her first partner.

Then she scaled into 700+ stores.

But in 2016, she made a bet and pulled out of retail completely to go direct-to-consumer.

She lost 80% of her revenue overnight.

But then she grew 3,800% in three years.

Knix used real customers in every campaign.

They launched full-size ranges.

They were the first to create a campaign featuring only women over 50.

They gave wire-free bras to patients at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

And in 2020, Strategy named Knix Brand of the Year.

But it wasn’t easy.

When Griffiths went to raise capital in 2021, many VCs questioned whether she could lead while pregnant.

She refused to take money from anyone who doubted her.

Instead, she raised $53M.

3 days before giving birth to twin girls.

A few days later, while still in the hospital, she got an offer.

Swedish hygiene giant Essity wanted to buy Knix.

Griffiths negotiated the entire $410M acquisition herself.

The largest publicly disclosed private sale by a female founder in Canadian history.

Knix is now one of the fastest-growing intimate apparel brands in the world.

They’ve collaborated with Betsey Johnson and Ashley Graham.

Released a book (Life After Birth).

And produced a short film (Big. Strong. Woman.) to challenge female stereotypes.

In 2025, they dropped their “Out of Office” swim campaign featuring four female founders:
→ Deepica Mutyala (Live Tinted)
→ Katie Sturino (Megababe)
→ Babba Rivera (Ceremonia)
→ Natalie Dusome (Poppy & Peonies)

Every piece featured sculpting tech, UPF 50+ fabric, and sizes up to 4XL.

To me, Griffiths is proof you don’t have to choose between motherhood and leadership. Or between impact and profit.