Diem, a new social universe designed for women and non-binary folks, has raised £650,000 in a pre-seed round.
The startup aims to create a safe, alternative space for them to share knowledge. Diem says it provides an authentic learning experience, moving away from orchestrated, performative content.
The round was led by Xfactor Ventures and Acrew, with participation from leading angels such as Create & Cultivate founder Jaclyn Johnson, and Discord executive Amber Atherton.
Diem has added community expert Abadesi Osunsade and creator Kirsty Godso to its advisory board.
In beta since January 2021, it has amassed a waitlist of over 20,000 people. Ahead of its public launch, Diem is carefully curating 100 ‘founding hosts’ to share their own experiences and qualified insights with relevant, interest-based communities within the platform.
This collective of women and non-binary folks are from a range of backgrounds such as financial advisors, entrepreneurs and obstetrician-gynecologists.
Diem was co-founded by Emma Bates and Divia Singh. Bates started her marketing career in blogging and transitioned into marketing and partnerships roles at some of the fastest-growing consumer brands in NYC and the UK.
Prior to founding Diem, she was head of global marketing at travel brand Away.
Prior to Diem, Singh was one of the first hires on the digital team at Away and also worked at Zocdoc in various roles across product, operations and CX.