Alex is not your usual entrepreneur. The plain-spoken, self-described"...boring heterosexual guy..." just wants to have vanilla sex and relationships with women. He started Transthetics, penile prosthetics for transmasculine people, to serve this purpose. While Alex may be working on things that are transformative for individuals, he didn't start his company to"change the world" or be internationally recognized in the way many CEOs strive for.
The subtle but realistic bulge that the EZPee provided in tight-fitting clothes made it aesthetically appealing, as well as functional. But it did nothing for another main use of the penis: sex. So Alex sought to replicate a sexual experience as close to that of a cis man as possible, and created the Joystick.
"What dictates the size is actually the ergonomics," he explained."The one exception there was the Joystick, where I was limited by the electronics, but now [with the advancement in vibrator technology,] I have managed to get that down and have now introduced the six-inch. With the Joystick, it doesn't really make much sense to go smaller, because you lose up to an inch [of insertable length] with the way it sits.
Alex credits necessity, as well as YouTube, as the mother of his inventions. From the beginning, he did all the manufacturing himself."It was a lot of crazy kitchen experiments in the first six months," he said,"figuring out weird and random shit like wax doesn't melt in a microwave, you can't wear rubber gloves when you're working with silicone."
While they might not form communities in the way trans guys do, they are an underserved segment. The only way to find out if there are still more communities interested in these products is for Alex to get feedback, or through email or anecdotes that find their way back to him. But he has heard from lesbians who say that his products have worked well for them and even some"heterosexual couples who just like to switch things up.
"I'm actually really happy with how discreet it is when moving from erect to flaccid state, and that we've been able to keep it really compact and comfortable," Alex continued."This will be my go-to. It will eliminate or at least reduce my use of the Joystick and the EZPee."