What people are saying about Hey Famm

Brands determined to serve the queer community must balance operating in a fractious business climate with upholding their key mission and values.

It’s the first social network designed for LGBTQ+ professionals, business owners, and entrepreneurs. Court is standing by with the founders to learn more about how it all works.

Queer people are banding together in professional circles, too.

Famm Connect provides a safe haven for job seekers and community support amid LGBTQ+ attacks

Navigating the tech industry as women of color is already challenging, but when layered with other marginalized identities, the obstacles become even greater. Marianna and Cat, the married couple behind Famm, are proving that innovation, resilience, and community-building can create meaningful change in this space.

Finding the right platform through which to make meaningful and valuable connections can be difficult, and this is certainly true for LGBTQIA+ professionals and business owners. LinkedIn may be the go-to platform for establishing business connections, but it is very broad and almost too big.

Famm, the discovery platform for queer-owned brands, was created by BIPOC queer married couple Cat Perez and Marianna Di Regolo to help users find LGBTQ-owned businesses. Now it’s launching a new social networking app for LGBTQ+ professionals and business owners to connect and collaborate. 

Famm, a platform for discovering LGBTQ+ owned brands and services, has launched Famm Connect, the first-ever social networking mobile app for LGBTQ+ professionals and business owners to network, build intentional connections, and access growth opportunities.

Famm Connect is turning the idea of professional networking on its head. Founded by queer married couple, Cat Perez and Marianna Di Regolo and designed specifically for the LGBTQ+ community, this innovative platform prioritizes safety, intentionality, and meaningful connections.

As a queer married couple, we understand firsthand the importance of LGBTQ+ rights and protections. We strive to empower our community, believing that our lived experiences uniquely position us to make impactful changes that others cannot.

As a queer married couple, we understand firsthand the importance of LGBTQ+ rights and protections. We strive to empower our community, believing that our lived experiences uniquely position us to make impactful changes that others cannot.

Married couple Cat Perez (she/they) and Marianna Di Regolo (she/her) created LGBTQ+ online marketplace Famm after struggling to find affirming brands. "The only time we'd see LGBTQ+ businesses and stories highlighted was during Pride month, and it just felt like we deserved more than that once-a-year spotlight," Perez tells PS.

When Cat Perez and Marianna Di Regolo, a queer married couple with a toddler, launched “Famm” in 2023, they understood the importance of choice, whether it be the family you create, the family you choose, or the service providers and products within a community that bridges us all together.

When Sacramento-based Cat Perez (she/they) and Marianna Di Regolo (she/her) met through friends at a popular queer bar in San Francisco 15 years ago, they never imagined where they’d be today:

With the upcoming holidays fast approaching, shoppers in need of gifts who also want to support LGBTQ businesses can utilize the online marketplace at the website Famm. Its owners have curated a list of nearly 400 LGBTQ-owned companies from across the U.S. and internationally.

Famm officially launched in 2023 and off to an amazing start. Cat and Marianna share more of their brand story, brand strategy, vision, and advice for emerging brand founders.

Listen for encouraging advice and strategy!

We were lucky to catch up with Cat / Marianna Perez / Di Regolo recently and have shared our conversation below. Cat / Marianna, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business? Famm was born out of two personal pain points:

For years, Famm founder and CEO Cat Perez (she/they) struggled to find clothing that best represented her gender expression. “As I have navigated my gender and identity over the past decade or so of my life, I’ve really been trying to figure out clothing––how I am presenting myself and what feels right on my body and in my being,” Perez said.