Startup Spotlight: Catherine Malloy of Rora

By Neesha Godbole, Staff Writer

Mehta (left) and Malloy (right) with Rora products

When Catherine Malloy (Kellogg '25) first pitched a startup focused on menopause in her New Venture Discovery class, she wasn’t sure how it would land. Would MBAs lean in on a topic that’s so rarely discussed in public?

They did more than just lean in—they voted to pursue it.

That moment signaled something Malloy would continue to see again and again: while menopause has long been under-discussed, the appetite for better solutions is real.

A conversation that changed everything

The idea for Rora began at a Kellogg Women in Finance dinner, where Malloy found herself seated next to a successful real estate entrepreneur. Over the course of the evening, the woman shared that she had spent more than $10,000 trying to manage menopause symptoms. Despite access to top doctors and unlimited resources, nothing worked. Eventually, she sold her company and stepped away from her career to prioritize her health.

If this was the experience of someone with every advantage, Malloy wondered—what does that mean for everyone else?

That conversation reframed menopause from an abstract life stage into a tangible, solvable problem. Menopause affects half the population, yet many of its most disruptive symptoms remain poorly addressed. Malloy saw an opportunity to explore what better support could look like.

Listening first

Over the following months, Malloy and her co-founder Neha Mehta (Kellogg '25) interviewed more than 100 women. While hot flashes came up, another issue surfaced repeatedly: genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM), particularly vulvar dryness.

More than any single symptom, the standout element was in how deeply these symptoms affected everyday life. Women talked about struggling to ride bikes, sit comfortably on long drives, or exercise the way they wanted to. Many hadn’t shared these experiences with friends or physicians, not because the symptoms were minor, but because they felt awkward or isolating.

The takeaway was clear: this was both a common and treatable issue, and women deserved better options.

Building with intention

Last summer, while many classmates headed to consulting and tech internships, Malloy and Mehta immersed themselves in product development. With support from Kellogg’s Levy Inspiration Grant, they traveled to Korea to learn about skincare manufacturing, partnered with Northwestern chemical engineers, and tested more than 20 formulations in-house.

Their testing process was hands-on and deeply user-driven. Testers tried different products privately, then shared which they preferred and why.

Clear requirements emerged from this process. The product needed to be hands-free, absorb quickly without staining clothes, and work upside down. That final constraint alone eliminated most existing spray solutions.

User feedback also shaped how Rora talks about its product. Many women experiencing symptoms didn’t identify with the term “menopause,” even if they were navigating it. Others experienced dryness for reasons unrelated to menopause, including cancer treatment or breastfeeding. As a result, Rora shifted its messaging away from labels and toward lived experiences, like discomfort during daily movement.

Choosing to go all in

Building Rora during her second year at Kellogg came with tradeoffs. Malloy spent weekends traveling to pitch competitions and visiting production facilities, sometimes missing small group dinners or spontaneous nights out.

Malloy competing at the 'Annual Rice Business Plan Competition '25. Rora won the Consumer Mercury Elevator Pitch Competition

At the same time, she credits the Kellogg community as instrumental to Rora’s progress, from sectionmates making investor introductions to friends helping refine pitch decks, branding, and packaging.

The experience has been different from her previous roles at Deloitte and The RealReal. “The consequences of messing up are different,” Malloy reflects, “but it’s incredibly energizing to watch something you’ve spent months building come to life.”

What’s next

Rora is currently running its first pilot production with manufacturing partners in Utah and New Jersey, and is onboarding medical advisors across multiple specialties. The team has begun activating its go-to-market strategy by building a community on TikTok and partnering with an intimate-care retailer in the DC area.

Retail conversations are ongoing, with interest from multiple East Coast partners. Within the next six months, Rora plans to launch two products direct-to-consumer.

Malloy continues to lean on the Northwestern ecosystem, regularly connecting with professors and drawing support from The Garage, where she’s met other CPG founders navigating similar challenges.

Looking ahead

Menopause will affect half the population, and many women will experience GSM at some point in their lives. For too long, the burden has been managing symptoms quietly and expensively, without solutions that truly fit.

Rora is building something different—grounded in listening, thoughtful design, and the belief that women deserve products that meet them where they are. Read More Startup Spotlights by Neesha Godbole: Devin Tyler of Tenacity Nico Casaux, Founder of Bianca