Welcome to the second edition of FemTech Forward – a new, monthly resource for some of the latest news in FemTech, expert interviews and advancements in the market.
As a FemTech and Women’s+ Health recruiter, I speak daily with influential leaders to match expert talent with innovators globally.
Spotlight on Fairtility
In this edition of Metric Bio’s FemTech Forward, we’re spotlighting Fairtility, an AI-driven fertility company transforming the landscape of IVF with advanced data science. CEO Eran Eshed shares insights into the company’s journey, its impact on fertility treatments, and what’s next for AI in reproductive care.
The Origins & Mission of Fairtility
Fairtility was founded just five years ago, in January 2020, to address inefficiencies in the IVF space, using AI. CEO Eran Eshed, an engineer with 25 years in the semiconductor industry, transitioned to healthcare after selling his last company to Sony in 2016. Identifying IVF as a space in need of innovation, he partnered with experts to develop AI solutions that standardize decision-making, improve clinical outcomes, and enhance patient experiences.
Fairtility’s goal is to introduce a data-driven approach that improves IVF success rates, aids parents’ emotional and physical burden, reduces costs, and streamlines operations in fertility clinics.
AI in fertility care: improving efficiency & patient outcomes
Fairtility’s flagship technology, CHLOE, is an AI-powered embryo assessment tool designed to support fertility specialists in decision-making. A major challenge in IVF is expectation management – many patients enter treatment with unrealistic hopes, leading to emotional distress and high dropout rates. CHLOE enhances transparency by providing real-time updates throughout the IVF process, improving patient confidence and engagement.
For clinics, automation significantly improves efficiency. By reducing administrative workload, reporting requirements, and manual data entry, Fairtility helps embryologists save up to 30% of their time per cycle. This increased efficiency translates to higher clinic capacity, reduced costs, and improved accessibility to fertility treatments.
Patient feedback has been overwhelmingly positive so far; surveys show that individuals feel more informed and empowered throughout their IVF journey, contributing to higher retention rates and improved experiences. Education, transparency and empowerment are each key pillars that Fairtility aim to uphold.
Market Adoption & Growth Challenges
Adopting AI in fertility care presents challenges, particularly in change management worldwide. Many clinics are well-established businesses operating under traditional workflows. While embryologists face long hours and burnout, they are accustomed to current methods. Convincing clinics to integrate AI requires demonstrating its robustness, validation, and return on investment.
Despite these barriers, Fairtility has successfully expanded, with over 100 clinics worldwide using CHLOE. The company has refined its implementation process, recognizing that AI in fertility is a disruptive integrated medical tool that requires education at all levels of the network, from the administrative staff to C level.
Geographically, Fairtility’s team presence spans Israel, India, Argentina, Spain, the UK, and the US. The primary growth market they’ve identified is the US – this is where they’re investing the most, and are aiming to scale significantly over the next few years.
The clinics they have are mostly centred in Europe and the US, although they have some in LATAM, Australia, and recently, Japan. Given this global positioning, the adoption process varies significantly between regions, dependent on finances, insurance, regulation.
Funding & Future Expansion
Fairtility is currently extending its Series A funding with an additional $11 million. The next strategic milestone is securing FDA approval, a key step toward broader US expansion. The company plans to strengthen its recurring revenue model and expand its clinic pipeline before entering Series B funding within the next 9–18 months.
The industry’s perception of AI in fertility is shifting rapidly. Initially, Fairtility had to educate clinics on AI’s potential, but in the past year, there has been a growing sense of urgency. Clinics now recognize that AI is not a future concept – it is a necessity for maintaining competitiveness.
Fairtility is also focused on strategic partnerships within the fertility ecosystem, acknowledging that no single company can solve all challenges in reproductive care. Collaboration is essential to driving meaningful advancements in the field.
The Future of AI in Fertility
A generational shift is underway in fertility clinics. Younger embryologists, lab directors, and physicians, many of whom are digital natives, are more open to AI integration. Clinics that fail to adapt risk falling behind as AI-driven fertility solutions become industry standard.
With clear clinical, operational, and financial benefits, AI is no longer an optional enhancement but a transformative force in fertility care. Fairtility continues to lead this evolution, leveraging AI to improve success rates, reduce costs, and create a more patient-centric IVF experience.
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• Sigma Technology has partnered with Daya Ventures, the world’s first FemTech venture studio, to help close the gender health gap.
• Sofinnova Partners, a leading European venture capital firm specializing in life sciences, has raised €1.2 billion across its investment strategies over the past year.
• Period Pack has now installed its products in over 10,000 restrooms across Europe.
• Hertility has released its latest Gender Health Gap Report (read here).
• Femasys has received CE mark certification for FemBloc, a non-surgical permanent birth control system for women.
• Pacify has launched a new doula-led maternal health platform.
• Allison Ellsworth successfully sold poppi for nearly $2 billion this week.
• Menopause specialist Louise Newson is preparing to launch a new series on her podcast (@drlouisenewsonpodcast).
• Teladoc Health has announced a new partnership with Carrot Fertility.
• Dreem Health | Sunrise has introduced a new program to address sleep disorders linked to women’s hormonal health.
• Sidekick Health has expanded its women’s health portfolio with MENO!, a menopause management app.
• Health In Her HUE has partnered with Takeda to improve Black women’s access to clinical trials.
• Daye, Béa Fertility, HANX, Aquafit Intimate, Geen, and LactApp have jointly filed EU complaints against tech giants over content censorship.
• Hinge Health has officially filed its S-1 to go public.
• SBRI Healthcare, in collaboration with the Health Innovation Network, has awarded £1.3M to 14 pioneering projects aimed at transforming women’s health, including innovations like BirthGlide for labor support, DDM Health for personalized chronic condition management, and ScreenIn3D for enhancing embryo implantation.
• The Centre for Economic Research in Pakistan (CERP) has launched the country’s first Femtech Innovation Hub (FIHP) at LUMS, in partnership with the LUMS Centre for Entrepreneurship.
• My Normative has announced the launch of the Women’s Health Research Award.
• A long-term daily pill for endometriosis treatment is now available on the NHS.
• Riley has officially joined the ranks of just 7,000 certified B Corps worldwide.
• Wellbeing of Women, a UK charity, has invested £1.2M into 18 women’s health research projects.
• Hassl has launched a women’s safety platform with a focus on systemic solutions.
• Ataraxis AI has raised $20.4M in Series A funding to enhance its AI-driven precision medicine platform for cancer care, starting with Ataraxis Breast.
• Fertility care startup Arva Health has secured $1M in pre-seed funding to launch a network of tech-enabled fertility clinics across India.
• Plussa, a Norrsken House Stockholm member, has raised 3.9M SEK to expand its app dedicated to reducing parenting stress.
• Lizzy Care has secured a $2.6M seed round to advance AI-driven dementia care solutions.
• Pelva Health, a medtech startup focused on addressing vulvovaginal pain during intimacy, has secured $500K in pre-seed funding.
• Egyptian femtech platform Daleela by Motherbeing has received a $200K investment from Madica’s African startup fund.
• LipoCheck has secured €2.5M to further develop its health platform for lipedema management.
• Canadian biotech Afynia Laboratories has raised $5M to commercialize its blood test for endometriosis.
• Wingwomen Technologies has secured a $2M investment.
• Linq has raised $1.1M to develop a secure platform for sharing intimate images.
• BioInnovation Institute has invested €500K in Beech Biotech SA to develop a novel preeclampsia treatment.
• Allo Health, an Indian sexual healthcare provider, has raised ₹16 crore ($1.9M) in Pre-Series A funding.
Stay tuned for next month’s newsletter, with more funding updates, Femtech spotlights, and expert insights in our next issue, as we continue pushing boundaries in women’s health! You can sign up to get FemTech Forward delivered directly to your inbox here.
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