Hi, we’re Zmanti!
We’re Kendra and Elena and we are the Co-Founders of Zmanti. Our company is on a mission to enable women to live without limits via our stylish and absorbable leak-proof incontinence products.
We were inspired to start this business by the women in our lives who were struggling to find great products to help deal with different cases of incontinence.
Ya know, when you might pee a little after sneezing or going for a run, or when you just can’t make it to the bathroom in time.
Elena and Kendra in NYC, where they met as MBAs at Columbia Business School
Our biggest inspiration was Kendra’s grandmother, Victoria.
Victoria grew up in a Romanian immigrant family, and worked hard to build a great life for her loved ones. She was the first person in her family to graduate from college and worked as an executive secretary for over 45 years.
She was also fiercely independent, a phenomenal chef, and loved to explore new places with her grandkids. In short, she was a “cool” grandma who wanted to live life to the fullest — which is why it was so humiliating for her when she started to need absorbable underwear.
Kendra and her grandmother, Victoria
Purchasing adult diapers was an embarrassing and lonely experience for her. And she felt helpless when she eventually needed someone else to buy them for her after she was no longer able to drive.
But as unique as Kendra’s grandmother was, her experience with purchasing absorbable underwear was not. Millions of women, like Victoria, feel like they can’t live their lives to the fullest because of this common issue that about 50% of women experience.
That’s where our company name, Zmanti, comes in — it’s a twist on the Romanian word for underwear, in honor of Kendra’s grandmother’s immigrant roots and fun approach to life.
And our motto — Live Without Limits — speaks to all women who, like Kendra’s grandma, want to continue living their best life without letting “peeing a little when they sneeze” get in the way.
After winning grant money for Zmanti at the RI-Hub pitch competition in April 2024! Kendra was a few days away from her due date — talk about living without limits!