Éva Goicochea

Éva Goicochea is the founder, CEO, and creative director of Maude, a modern intimacy company redefining sexual wellness through quality, inclusivity, and design. Since launching Maude in 2018, Goicochea has become a leading voice for accessible intimacy, successfully mainstreaming sexual wellness in retail and culture while breaking historic barriers for Latin women in venture-backed consumer brands.

Early Life and Career

Born in New Mexico and raised in Sacramento, California, Goicochea’s diverse heritage (Mexican, Spanish, Native American) deeply influences her inclusive vision. She studied marketing in New York, then began her career as a legislative aide in healthcare at the California Medical Association—a formative experience that instilled an ethos of equity and public health.

She pivoted to e-commerce and brand strategy, working with notable brands including adidas Y-3, Squarespace, Steven Alan, Josie Maran Cosmetics, and, most famously, Everlane, where she built the company’s early social, talent, and culture strategy. In 2015, she co-founded Tinker Watches before conceptualizing Maude.

Founding maude

The idea for Maude merged Goicochea’s passions for health and thoughtful brand-building, aiming to destigmatize sexual health. She sought to create a new standard: products that are beautiful, functional, gender-inclusive, and culturally savvy, addressing wellness “before, during, and after” intimacy.

Launched in April 2018 in New York, Maude debuted with a minimalist line of lubricants, condoms, and devices designed for all bodies and all relationships. Goicochea positioned the brand at the intersection of everyday wellness and design—countering a category historically exclusionary or taboo.

Achievements and Milestones

• Category Trailblazer: Maude became the first sexual wellness brand ever sold online and in-store at Sephora (launched March 2023, now in over 260 doors), and is sold in 30+ countries.
• Press & Funding: As of 2025, one of only 10 Latinas in consumer goods to have raised over $13M in venture funding; featured in 1700+ press articles including The New York Times, Vogue, and Forbes.
• Cultural Impact: In 2024, Maude exhibited and sold at the prestigious Musée des Arts Décoratifs at the Louvre and sponsored key public health and sex education organizations.
• Awards: Named one of Entrepreneur’s 100 Most Powerful Women (2019), WWD Power Player (2020, 2021), Forbes Next 1000 (2021), CEW Female Founder Award (2022), Inc. Female Founders 100 (2022), Vogue Business 100 Innovators (2023), and Beauty Independent Entrepreneur of the Year (2023).

Recent News and Leadership

• In 2023, Goicochea curated “Modern Sex: 100 Years of Design and Decency” for the Museum of Sex Miami and, in 2024, contributed to “Private Lives: From the Bedroom to Social Media” at the Louvre, a first for a sexual wellness brand.
• Product innovation continues, with patented accessories (Cone, Drop, Ribbed Vibe—2023-24) and new body-safe formulations.
• maude has become a sought-after platform for public health education, creative collaboration (notably with Dakota Johnson, the brand’s co-creative director), and representation in the growing $125 billion sexual wellness market.

Table: Milestones & Achievements

Éva Goicochea’s pioneering model of modern, inclusive sexual wellness has made Maude a global standard-bearer—bridging the worlds of design, advocacy, and public health for a new era of self-care.