Good morning! White House hears proposals on how to get women to have more children, Mexico and the U.S. are still talking tariffs, and men’s sports are trying new ways to reach female fans.
– Fans first. Audi Field in Washington, D.C. hosts 20,000 fans for D.C. United men’s soccer matches, the new USL Super League women’s soccer club D.C. Power FC, and Washington Spirit National Women’s Soccer League matches, plus concerts and events. Even though the stadium is best known as a home for men’s sports, it just signed the first partnership deal for a stadium with a tampon brand—Sequel, a menstrual products company that has staked out territory in women’s sports. Sequel’s spiral tampons will be available for free throughout the stadium.
“It puts a flag for the standard that all sports teams should have, not just women’s teams,” says Sequel cofounder and CMO Amanda Calabrese. “We’re actually recognizing that men’s sports have female fans.”
Sequel was founded in 2019 and, unlike most other menstrual product startups, its innovation goes beyond delivery or packaging. The company designed a new style of tampon—one that is a spiral shape, meant to more evenly distribute liquid. Sequel has raised $5 million in total and has gone all-in on the women’s sports space, where athletes have long sought tampons that support greater comfort and freer movement.
Sequel has partnered with other emerging brands in women’s sports, including the USL Super League and the women’s basketball league Unrivaled, which just ran during the WNBA’s off season. It views its deals as emblematic of the new opportunities available for brands in women’s sports (or men’s sports that value female fans). “We’re buying a piece of a sports team that’s never been sold before. We’re buying a piece of a stadium that’s never been sold before,” Calabrese says. “This is an asset that has been completely overlooked because an NBA team is not thinking that they can sell the bathroom. They’re not thinking they can sell a hygiene product to their athletes—because they can’t. That’s what women’s sports is doing.”
D.C. United president Danita Johnson, who is the first Black woman to lead a Major League Soccer team, acknowledges that this is unusual. “For our men’s team, it wouldn’t be the traditional space,” she says. “But when we look at the demographics of our fans, the growth of sports, and the continued elevation of women not only playing sport, but being engaged in sport…that is pretty exciting for us.” D.C. United is valued at $775 million, according to Forbes, with $85 million in annual revenue.
In the menstrual products space, the brand Aunt Flow has dominated the public-spaces market—selling to stadiums, schools, offices, and other large institutions. “This isn’t just a B-to-B deal for us,” Calabrese says. Sequel will be integrated throughout D.C. United’s brand, philanthropy, and more. “It’s really important for us to not just live in the bathroom, but to live on the field, live in the main concourse, live on Instagram,” Calabrese says.
Emma Hinchliffe
emma.hinchliffe@fortune.com
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ALSO IN THE HEADLINES
- Birthrate boost. White House aides are fielding proposals to increase the U.S.'s declining birthrate. They want to encourage more Americans to get married and have children. One idea: Gift all American mothers a “baby bonus” of $5,000 in cash after delivering a baby. New York Times
- Tariff talks. President of Mexico Claudia Sheinbaum said that she and President Donald Trump “haven’t yet reached an agreement” on tariffs, but that the conversation is ongoing. A 25% tariff on auto parts, which the two discussed, is set to kick in on May 3. Bloomberg
- Let's make a pact. India’s finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman wants to close the first part of a trade pact with the country’s largest trading partner, the U.S., by the fall. Sitharaman said that India’s engagement with the U.S. goes beyond reciprocal tariffs, given the U.S.’s importance to India’s trade market. Reuters
- Traffic toll. Congestion pricing in New York City was supposed to end this past Sunday—but the $9 toll has remained in place. “The program is working,” said New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. “Traffic is down, business is up and the cameras are staying on.” NBC
MOVERS AND SHAKERS
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York named Anna Nordstrom head of the markets group. She most recently served as the head of the domestic and international markets function for the bank.
Silver Lake, a technology-focused investment firm, named Karen King managing director and COO. She previously served as the firm’s managing director and chief legal officer.
Ulta Beauty (no. 360) named Lauren Brindley chief merchandising and digital officer; she succeeds Monica Arnaudo, who is retiring in June. Most recently, Brindley was CEO of Revolution Beauty.
Jabil (no. 125), a manufacturing solutions provider, appointed Sujatha Chandrasekaran to its board of directors. Most recently, she served as SVP, chief digital and information officer at CommonSpirit Health.
Executive search firm Bespoke Partners appointed Elizabeth Spaulding to its board of directors. She was previously CEO of Stitch Fix.
ON MY RADAR
How the war over trans athletes tore a volleyball team apart New York Times
BCEO talks: Kecia Steelman, CEO of Ulta Beauty WWD
Joan Didion’s books should have been enough The Atlantic
PARTING WORDS
“I needed it so badly that I was like, ‘If I can’t find this, I’m going to become this.’”
— Rapper Doechii on wanting to see herself in artists when she was growing up