At SXSW London, Christian Tooley challenged investors to reconsider their approach towards controversial sectors like sex and substances, often dismissed due to societal norms. He emphasized that the restrictions placed by investors prevent lucrative innovations from emerging in these areas. Tooley cited projections of the sex tech market reaching $200 billion by 2032 and underscored how stigma, rather than a lack of merit, hinders funding. He mentioned that industries are underfunded simply because they make investors uncomfortable, and not due to a shortage of viable opportunities.
"Returns can be financial, cultural, and systemic," Tooley told the crowd. "Sex is high volume, consumer-facing, with lower upfront capital needs. Substances have moderate-to-long ROI but higher payoffs."
"Entire industries are underfunded not because they lack merit, but because they challenge comfort," Tooley later told TechCrunch.
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