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The woman behind 'female Viagra' sold her company for $1 billion — see how she spent the money

Cindy Whitehead, the serial entrepreneur who built the company behind the "female Viagra," has a new venture aimed at helping women avoid the pitfalls that nearly ended her career.

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In August 2015, a little pink pill designed to boost women's sex drives was approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The next day, Whitehead sold the company behind the drug to a pharma giant for $1 billion. That's when everything fell apart.

The buyer, Valeant Pharmaceuticals, became embroiled in scandal forjacking up the prices on some of its drugs. It doubled the cost of Addyi, the

In an interview with Business Insider, Whitehead said she's since turned her focus to helping female founders make breakthroughs of their own. The Pinkubator, which opens February 1, is a startup incubator based in North Carolina, where entrepreneurs will launch new products and companies under the guidance of Whitehead and handpicked mentors.

Take a look inside.

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The Pinkubator is no ordinary startup accelerator.

For starters, it was built with the money Whitehead made from selling her last startup, Sprout Pharmaceuticals, which was responsible for the "female Viagra."

Whitehead hopes to leverage her own experience to help female founders find success.

Whitehead describes the Pinkubator as a membership service for women-led or women-focused businesses, which means men can join if their startups are relevant to women's needs.

Entrepreneurs can join for $500 a month, or $99 for access to mentorship, networking events, and special pricing on brand-building services, without the office space.

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The office is located in Raleigh, North Carolina, which is part of the "Research Triangle," a region that's dense in top universities and research facilities.

The workplace is decorated in black, white, and hot pink — Whitehead's signature color. The hashtag #unapologeticallypink is scrawled across one wall.

Members can take meetings in one of several conference rooms.

Everyone gets their own locker.

There's rosé wine on tap, though we couldn't find a photo to prove it.

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Members will eat lunch together at a custom-designed glass table, an homage to the glass ceiling that so often bars women and minorities from climbing the corporate ladder.

Members are also entitled to pitch Whitehead for funding. Her exit money from the Sprout deal allows her to invest in the Pinkubator's portfolio companies when appropriate, she said.

"In my case, I'm a geek. I like the geeks," Whitehead said. "And I'd like to see more women in those [executive] roles, particularly in STEM" — science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

The Pinkubator opens February 1.

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