MedAnswers Secures $5M Series A Funding to Launch New Features in FertilityAnswers App

On August 15, 2019, VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) learned that medical technology company MedAnswers had raised $5 million in Series A financing. The round was led by the Special Situations’ Life Sciences Innovation (LSI) Fund, managed by David Sable, with participation from Viking Global Investors. MedAnswers is leveraging technology, genetics, and other health data to connect individuals facing difficulties conceiving with fertility specialists and solutions, thereby helping users achieve pregnancy more quickly.

These funds were used to launch new features on the FertilityAnswers app, including fertility services that match resources and a social media feed, thereby providing clinically and scientifically validated fertility information. These free resources are designed to connect users with personalized, precise resources, thus shortening the time to conception.

Alice Crisci, CEO of MedAnswers, stated, “Most of our users have been struggling with infertility for two years or more, and they are predominantly in their twenties. Unfortunately, the health data they share and the questions they ask represent only the beginning of their pregnancy journey. The sooner we can provide them with appropriate products, services, clinicians, and fertility solutions, the sooner they can realize their dream of starting a family.”

A research report from Search Engine Watch states that 90% of individuals aged 18 to 24 are willing to share personal health data and trust the information they learn from others on social media. FertilityAnswers enters this space through curated social media feeds, enabling users to interact with board-certified experts while preserving their anonymity.

Crisci stated, “Users can ask us any question and then complete a brief health profile. When users provide some health data, their health status becomes clearer. This ensures that our experts can answer users’ questions accurately and in a targeted manner. There is a significant difference between a 25-year-old individual trying to conceive and a 39-year-old individual trying to conceive.”

Experts can endorse each other’s content through mutual voting to enhance its credibility. On the social media feed, only experts are permitted to publish articles, videos, and images. Anonymous users may like, comment on, and share content they find useful.

Through resource matching, FertilityAnswers also provides users with access to some of the best IVF clinics in the United States, affordable overseas IVF programs, scientifically validated ovulation trackers, clinically validated emotional support programs, and clinical weight management programs. The platform complies with HIPAA and HITECH standards, ensures user data is encrypted and protected, and supports user anonymity. Its mission is to deliver the safest and most trustworthy services to over 80 million people worldwide.

The funds will also be used to expand the team, strengthen the company’s intellectual property position, increase the user base, grow the number of board-certified experts on the app globally from 200 to 1,000, and launch multi-language support. Experts include board-certified obstetricians and gynecologists, reproductive endocrinologists, embryologists, geneticists, genetic counselors, psychologists, lawyers, acupuncturists, nutritionists, urologists, fertility navigators, as well as physicians from egg and sperm donation agencies and surrogacy agencies.

(Compiled by Tian Shuhang)