Duo raise £1m for women's urinals start-up

Hazel McShane (left) and Amber Probyn co-founded the firm Peequal

Two businesswomen who co-founded a women's urinals company hope to go global after raising nearly £1m in investment.

Amber Probyn, 27, and Hazel McShane, 29, say the urinals made by Peequal, for use at festivals, are three times quicker to use than portable toilets.

The Bristol University graduates will use the funding to manufacture the next-generation urinals, which they hope to send to events in Europe, the US and Australia.

Ms McShane said they have had interest from event organisers around the world. "Like us, they want women spending less time in queues and more time enjoying the events they love," she said.

The pair, who graduated in 2020, came up with the idea after spending many summers working at music festivals in the UK.

"We knew women would welcome any innovation that meant they didn't have to queue for hours," said Ms Probyn.

"What we didn't expect was how much love the urinals would receive, and we've been blown away by the support women give us at events."

Manufactured in Somerset, Peequal's urinals are made from sugar cane and plastic recovered from the ocean.

The latest design allows the women's urinals to be flat-packed and stacked

The urinals are designed to minimise splashback and allow for clothing to come down at the front. Users squat, while holding onto handles.

The latest design allows the urinals to be flat-packed and stacked.

The founders estimate that a lorry carrying 21 portable toilets could instead carry 56 of their urinals.

The urinals have been used at 25 events already this year, including Glastonbury Festival and the London Marathon.

Ms McShane says event organisers around the world are keen to use Peequal

The Peequal founders raised £925,000 in their latest round of funding, bringing the total raised during three funding rounds to £1.4m.

Julia Davies, impact investor at We Have The Power, is a key backer. She first came across the urinals while running the London Marathon.

"It's always satisfying to invest in a service you've used and admired," said Ms Davies.

"What I really love is its potential for a huge sustainability impact by reducing toxic waste generation at events."