PeeBuddy solves an all-too-common problem for Indian women

Photo credit: Gennaro Serra

Your bladder’s bursting. You rush to the ladies’ toilet at the movie theater. But you regret it instantly. It is stinky, filthy, and there’s no way you are going to sit on that dirty seat.

Women have such limited right to mobility. They seldom get clean, hygienic toilets.

But here’s the twist.

You dig into your bag, find the secret weapon, fix it between your legs, and fire away – standing all the while like men do.

Once you are done, you say a quiet thank you to PeeBuddy. It’s a funnel-shaped female urination device (FUD) – probably the first of its kind in India. The PeeBuddy helps women circumvent the problem of dirty toilets by letting them stand and pee.

It’s easy to carry in your bag. It is made of water-resistant paper, so it doesn’t leak when you pee. The funnel is disposable, but has to be thrown into the bin, not flushed down the toilet.

Here’s one folded-out PeeBuddy along with the packaging it comes in.

Now here’s another surprise. It was three men who came up with it.

Delhi-based entrepreneur Deep Bajaj, his brother Mohit Bajaj, and friend Rahul Anand are the co-founders of First Step Digital, which makes the device.

“Women have such limited right to mobility. They seldom get clean, hygienic toilets and have to either wipe the seat or make chairs – or worse, they hold it in,” Deep tells Tech in Asia.

“I had seen how their social lives and travel came to a standstill, but had no clue how it would be solved.”

One for the road

The inspiration for PeeBuddy came from a trip in 2013.

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