Kangsaio Founder Zhang Yaqun: Delivering Dignified, Gentle-Stimulation Fertility Care to Millions in Need

The “Three-Child” Policy, Heated Discussions at the Two Sessions… In recent years, declining fertility rates and a year-on-year rise in infertility rates have made aging and low birth rates increasingly prominent issues. Endless discussions on childbirth have sparked strong attention from both the state and society. The recently concluded 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China proposed implementing the strategic decision to “optimize population development strategies and establish a policy system supporting childbirth,” as well as reforming and improving “fertility service management, encouraging childbirth within policy guidelines, and promoting balanced population development.” These directives have once again propelled assisted reproductive technology into the spotlight and public consciousness.

In addition to policy support at the national level, public demand for assisted reproductive technology (ART) services is also on the rise. According to data from the 2021 edition of the China Statistical Yearbook, by 2020, the number of women of childbearing age (20–49 years) in China was approximately 288 million, with nearly 51.84 million people affected by infertility. At the end of 2020, the official website of the National Medical Products Administration projected that China’s infertility rate would further climb to 18.2% by 2023, indicating that the potential demand for ART in China would approach 15.66 million individuals.

Amidst the massive demand, how is the domestic supply side developing?

According to VCBeat’s “2022 Assisted Reproductive Technology Industry Research Report,” a comparison between the list of approved ART institutions published by the National Health Commission in May 2021 and the statistical data from the 2019 assisted reproduction report indicates that the gap between the number of ART institutions and the demand for such services in China is gradually narrowing.

However, it is worth noting that although the development environment for the assisted reproductive technology (ART) industry has become increasingly favorable in recent years with the introduction of national guidelines on eugenics and the prevention of birth defects, the entry barriers to the ART industry remain high.

It is reported that the number of assisted reproductive technology (ART) institutions licensed to provide ART services experienced rapid growth, increasing from 102 in 2007 to 451 in 2016, but subsequently slowed down. By 2020, only 523 ART institutions had been approved in China, reflecting increasingly stringent regulatory oversight of qualifications.

This implies that assisted reproductive technology (ART) is not only a fast-growing and lucrative business but also one with high entry barriers. However, many ART-related enterprises in China view it as having even more profound social significance: it presents an opportunity to leverage medical technologies to address the urgent need to raise the fertility rate, increase the supply of working-age population, optimize demographic structure, and build a “fertility-friendly society.”

However, factors such as high barriers to entry, relatively scarce medical resources, and the lengthy training cycle for high-quality medical teams have hindered many enterprises from entering the market and expanding their scale. New players that have already entered the field are continuously seeking breakthroughs to secure a foothold in this vast industry. This article focuses on one such entity: Consure Medical Group.

Zhang Yaquan, Founder and CEO of Kangsaio Medical Group, also serves as Chairman of Qiyun Technology, Co-founder of Tencent-affiliated Healthcare, Chief Experience Officer of Mild Stimulation Therapy, Partner in Fosun Group’s Healthcare Projects, and Senior Investor. He previously held the positions of Vice President at Shenzhen Diandian Investment, Senior Vice President at Shenzhen Xinfu Capital, and Senior Vice President at Kuahaixia Technology.

As an emerging brand in assisted reproduction, specializing in one-stop professional health and fertility services as well as gentle conception medical technology consulting, Conseo Medical Group has launched the “Conseo Gentle Stimulation Protocol,” introducing Japan’s advanced assisted reproductive technologies to China and becoming one of the country’s first advocates of gentle conception.

Brand positioning is linked to Zhang Yaquan’s personal experience.

A few years ago, Zhang Yaquan, in his capacity as a professional investor, began engaging with projects related to the assisted reproductive technology (ART) industry. Coinciding with his personal need for ART services, he has since paid increasing attention to the sector’s development trends.

As is well known, couples seeking assisted reproductive technology (ART) must endure not only a certain degree of physical pain during treatment but also significant psychological pressure from themselves and those around them. This is because not everyone is blessed with “good fertility luck,” and the dream of conception cannot always be realized in the short term. Many families requiring ART endure an agonizing cycle of waiting and repeated failures, with some also bearing the financial burden of recurring treatment costs. Having personally undergone ART, Zhang Yaquan deeply empathizes with their plight.

Having personally endured such physical and psychological suffering, and witnessing female friends around her strive for over a decade without success—losing not only the prime decade of their lives but also their careers, families, and even their health in the face of failure—Zhang Yaquan, after comprehensive consideration and investigation, hopes to identify a gentler, less stimulating assisted reproductive technology (ART) protocol that aligns with the needs of the majority.

After two to three years of investment evaluations of domestic and international projects and extensive market data analysis, Zhang Yaquan officially “crossed over” in 2019, transitioning from an investor to the founder of Kansaiou Doctor Group. He joined forces with multiple top clinical experts in reproductive medicine and internet healthcare operations specialists to form the Kansaiou team, officially launching the Kansaiou Doctor Group brand into the market.

Looking back on the early days of their startup, Zhang Yaquan candidly admitted that the team “endured considerable hardships.”

Due to the high barriers to entry for assisted reproductive technology (ART) licenses in China, which impose stringent requirements on team funding and qualifications, the early stages of the venture required frequent travel to various cities to pursue technical and business collaborations. In 2019 alone, she accumulated nearly 60,000 kilometers of air travel, visiting 11 cities across China for resource integration and project operations.

During the implementation phase, the Consio team observed that the services and technologies currently offered in China’s assisted reproductive technology (ART) market exhibit considerable homogeneity. Consequently, identifying points of differentiation and genuinely addressing the needs of families undergoing ART has become a key focus for Consio.

After extensive research and investigation, the Conseo team found that although the currently promoted IVF technical protocols in China meet the needs of some families undergoing IVF, most rely primarily on artificial ovarian stimulation. This approach imposes significant physiological impacts on patients before and after the procedure, involves relatively long treatment cycles, and incurs higher overall costs, thereby reducing its accessibility.

“Conseio Gentle Stimulation Protocol” prioritizes gentle fertility care, customizing treatment plans based on patients’ physiological indicators and needs. It enables IVF outcomes with virtually no injections or medications and without excessive ovarian stimulation, allowing patient families to achieve their reproductive goals in a more natural and gentle manner.

Moreover, building on its gentle stimulation therapy, Consio also champions a one-stop professional service for healthy fertility and provides authoritative medical consulting on gentle conception technologies. It stands by families in need throughout their journey, offering timely answers, warmth, and support.

VCBeat has learned that the business development of Kangsaio Doctor Group is gradually getting on track. Regarding the current achievements, Zhang Yaquan attributes them to policy dividends and the team’s hard work. She sees herself more as a “lighthouse keeper,” consolidating resources from various sectors to help the team navigate its path forward. “Although my daily schedule is tight and the pressure is high, I believe that our choices and the team’s efforts will surely pay off,” said Zhang Yaquan. “The team is united and sparing no effort, all hoping to realize their own social value.”