PEEQUAL, co-founded by Amber Probyn and Hazel McShane, began life as their final-year project at the University’s Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
The idea was born out of frustration with long toilet queues at festivals and has since grown into a game-changing solution for women at events.
The latest funding round brings the total raised to £1.4 million in investments and will support the manufacture and export of PEEQUAL’s next-generation urinals. These new designs are stackable, allowing nearly three times as many units to fit on lorries compared to traditional portable toilets. This not only reduces transport costs but also helps cut carbon emissions at large-scale events.
Hazel said: “We’ve heard from events and toilet suppliers around the world keen to use our women’s urinals. Like us, they want women spending less time in queues and more time enjoying the events they love.
“This funding means we can export this British innovation and give the gift of shorter queues to women across the world.”
Amber and Hazel’s urinals are now a familiar sight at major UK events, including Glastonbury and the London Marathon. Since their first deployment in 2022, they estimate the urinals have been used over 1.25 million times.
The journey began with support from Runway, the University’s student start-up incubator and the first investor in PEEQUAL. This early-stage funding enabled Amber and Hazel to build their first set of urinals for the summer festival season, a powerful example of how small, timely investments can unlock big potential and pave the way for global impact.
Associate Professor Mark Neild, who leads Runway, said: “Hazel and Amber’s journey shows how bold thinking, backed by practical action, can lead to real-world impact. Their success is a beacon for aspiring female founders, and I hope it encourages more women to turn their ideas into ventures that change the world for the better.”