From Hollywood to Intimacy Tech: Elizabeth Dell's Journey in Redefining Pleasure and Connection
In an industry where innovation often meets resistance, Elizabeth Dell stands as a pioneering force bridging the gap between technology and human intimacy. As the co-founder of Groove Thing—a revolutionary internal music player that's already become the most funded insertable pleasure product in Kickstarter history—Dell brings a unique perspective shaped by her diverse background in film production, community building, and intimacy technology.
Dell's journey from producing films like Destination Wedding to creating groundbreaking sextech products reflects a deeper understanding of human connection and the power of storytelling. Through her Industry Mixer series, she's fostered a community of over 1,000 professionals working at the intersection of intimacy and technology, while her previous venture, the Romance app Amorus, established her as a thoughtful innovator in the space.
Her latest venture, Groove Thing, represents more than just technological advancement—it's a reimagining of how music and physical sensation can combine to create entirely new experiences of pleasure. The device, which achieved remarkable crowdfunding success within its first week of launch, signals a new category in intimate wellness that goes far beyond traditional approaches.
In this conversation, Dell shares insights into the challenges of building in the sextech space, the evolution of intimacy technology, and how her background in storytelling continues to shape her approach to designing products that help people connect more deeply with themselves and their partners.
Your Groove Thing represents a fascinating intersection of music, technology, and intimate wellness. What inspired this specific innovation, and how do you envision internal music players changing the landscape of pleasure technology and personal wellness?
My cofounder and inventor has loved music and audio improvements his whole life. He's a tinkerer, and like me, someone constantly interested in connection and intimacy. The first version of Groove Thing was invented in his garage almost two years ago and he invited me to be the first person to try it. Unbeknownst to him, I already had a deep background in sextech, having created the Romance app Amorus and started the world's first SexTech industry mixer series. So when I tried it, I KNEW how remarkable his invention truly was. I immediately felt (literally!) that this was a game-changer in physical sensation, with a wholly different approach to pleasure and music than anything on the market. Groove Thing is not a "sound-responsive" vibrator, it's a whole new category of device. Which is part of what's made our Kickstarter launch so powerful and made us the most funded insertable pleasure product in Kickstarter's history! Within our first week of launch!
Learn more about Groove Thing's launch
Through your Industry Mixer series, you've brought together over 1,000 people from intimacy and tech verticals. What are the biggest challenges and opportunities you've observed in building a professional community around sexuality and technology, and how has this community evolved since you started?
I think the hardest thing about building sextech community is building the companies themselves. The people in sextech are incredible - giving, generous, smart, funny, and so excited to come together and support the community. But the world is tough for SexTech. Service providers regularly refuse to provide services (banking, email management, credit card processing, etc) to sextech companies, even though they are trying to help improve the world. Social Media platforms shadow-ban accounts for representing diverse audiences or using medically accurate terms. No one wants to spell sex "seggs" when giving advice on safer practices - they don't have a choice!
You've had a remarkably diverse career path - from producing films like Destination Wedding to founding intimacy-focused tech companies. How has your background in film production and storytelling influenced your approach to designing products and experiences that help people connect with their sexuality and relationships?
I am both a born and trained storyteller and that influences everything I do. Telling stories is all about understanding an audience, what they care about, what they fear, what they desire. This is immediately transferable to intimacy and consumer products. So much of intimacy is about the skills to communicate what we want, whether to our partner or even just to ourselves. Also, producing movies is all about welcoming in creative talent and doing something wildly ambitious without much of a roadmap - it's entrepreneurship at its cutting edge - so an incredible training ground for building companies!
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