WeDoctor BeiLian Strategically Acquires Bobcare to Forge China's Leading Internet-Assisted Reproductive Healthcare Platform

VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) has learned that WeDoctor Beilian has recently taken a strategic controlling stake in Bobcare, which has been deeply engaged in the assisted reproduction industry for several years. This move aims to unlock the full industry chain market of assisted reproduction and seize its emerging opportunities.

According to available data, after WeDoctor made a strategic investment in Beilian Technology in 2016, WeDoctor Beilian leveraged the scarcity of its internet license for maternal and child health hospitals and its precise online entry point for maternal and infant services to break through two major bottlenecks—user access and healthcare resource acquisition—thereby forming a closed-loop ecosystem with mature operational experience in internet hospitals.

As maternal and child healthcare continued to advance, WeDoctor Beilian gradually shifted its focus to the field of assisted reproduction. In 2017, it signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Jinjiang Reproductive Medicine Center to establish the first internet-based reproductive medical consortium in Southwest China, providing a comprehensive online-to-offline closed-loop health service solution covering pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare.

Founded in 2015, Beibeike secured angel-round financing from Matrix Partners China in the same year and spearheaded sweeping innovations in the field of assisted reproductive technology (ART), earning a strong reputation particularly in Beijing, Shandong, and Henan provinces. What were the opportunities and background behind WeDoctor’s strategic controlling stake in Beibeike through its BeiLian platform? How will the two parties collaborate to create a new win-win model for the ART industry? VCBeat conducted an exclusive interview with Shi Lei, founder and CEO of Beibeike.

In recent years, the incidence of infertility has risen year by year, reaching 12.5%–15%, which has also driven the continuous expansion of the assisted reproductive technology (ART) market. Previously, there was social stigma surrounding infertility; however, as patients’ mindsets have become more open and societal attitudes have shifted, the rate at which infertile couples seek medical consultation has continued to increase.

Furthermore, as assisted reproductive technology (ART) continues to evolve and iterate, it has expanded the eligible patient population, improved success rates, and driven an increase in the number of IVF cycles. Influenced by multiple favorable factors, societal demand for ART is expected to rise steadily, further expanding the potential market size.

However, at the current stage, the development of public-sector-dominated assisted reproductive technology (ART) institutions fails to meet the increasingly substantial market demand. Collaboration between private ART hospitals and capital investors is becoming more frequent, with downstream industry channels gradually opening up. Private ART institutions are thus poised for a period of robust growth.

Currently, Beibeike has established its business presence in areas such as reproductive medical consortiums and IVF insurance. Centered on the reproductive medical consortium, it has created a composite model of specialized reproductive alliances that enables the interconnection of medical resources across online and offline platforms, as well as among provinces, cities, towns, and townships. Additionally, Beibeike pioneered a comprehensive management service for high-end in vitro fertilization (IVF). While providing treatment guarantees, the service emphasizes reproductive health management and offers specialized services including consultations for complex cases, VIP green-channel access to medical care, disease course management, physical and psychological wellness support, and premium advisory services.

Beibeike has innovatively introduced the concept of reproductive health insurance, partnering with renowned insurers such as ZhongAn Insurance, Tianan Property & Casualty Insurance, and Huatai Insurance to develop insurance products tailored specifically for individuals undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF). These initiatives aim to increase the number of IVF treatment cycles covered and reduce out-of-pocket expenses for patients. Shi Lei told reporters, “Beibeike has deeply cultivated the reproductive health sector by designing customized insurance plans that address each stage of assisted reproductive technology (ART). This approach fills a gap in the insurance market. Furthermore, by integrating online and offline service models, we have enhanced both the efficiency and quality of our insurance services, thereby driving innovation in medical insurance products.”

Beibeike’s Third-Party Administrator (TPA) Model for Assisted Reproductive Technology Insurance provides third-party healthcare management services for assisted reproduction, covering customer service, claims processing, direct billing networks, and product development. This model targets individuals who are planning to conceive through in vitro fertilization (IVF), those about to enter an IVF cycle, individuals with genetic hereditary concerns, and those seeking to reduce the risk of IVF-related complications.

Following investment from WeDoctor Beilian, the offline preconception care center model pioneered by Bei Beike will undergo a comprehensive upgrade. Previously, these centers primarily served a pre-consultation function, helping patients make adequate preparations before clinical visits. Moving forward, they will leverage the advantages of the internet to establish Fertility Assessment Centers, Remote Expert Consultation Centers, Pre-treatment Conditioning Centers, and Pregnancy Preservation Service Centers. This transformation will enable clients to access efficient and convenient assisted reproductive technology (ART) support services locally, thereby building a satellite industry chain around ART and achieving a closed-loop ecosystem within the assisted reproduction sector.

The following are key milestones in the development of Aibeike:

In August 2015, Beibeike was founded. Its management team, composed of Tsinghua University MBA graduates, experts in reproductive health, and elites from Fortune Global 500 companies, established China’s first internet-based reproductive medical insurance platform.

In September 2015, it joined the Tsinghua University X-lab platform for creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship education, becoming the first supported project in the assisted reproductive medicine industry. It independently developed a diagnostic decision support system and established an internet-based assisted reproductive medicine platform.

In June 2016, we established preconception care centers worldwide, built a global medical service network, launched VIP services for in vitro fertilization (IVF) patients, and provided comprehensive fertility assistance—including green-channel access—to patients traveling for medical care.

In September 2016, international assisted reproductive services were fully launched online, initiating the “Internet + Cross-Border Healthcare” model;

In February 2017, the “Baobei Plan” IVF insurance was launched, initiating the third-party administration (TPA) model for assisted reproductive technology (ART) medical insurance.

In September 2017, it established a reproductive medicine consortium, a consultation center, and a reproductive genetics data laboratory, and launched innovative medical finance models such as installment payment plans for in vitro fertilization (IVF).

In December 2017, we expanded overseas, established the international reproductive health brand BFG, and launched a full-chain model for assisted reproductive services tailored to the Chinese community.

In August 2018, Aibeike pioneered third-party consultation services for assisted reproductive technology in China;

In October 2018, WeDoctor Beilian strategically acquired a controlling stake in Beibeike, jointly creating a flagship provider of premium assisted reproductive technology (ART) medical services.

WeDoctor Beilian’s strategic controlling stake in Beijing Aibeike Network Technology Co., Ltd. sends a strong signal of its intent to build a flagship enterprise in China’s assisted reproductive technology industry.

Beibeike has deeply cultivated the assisted reproductive technology (ART) industry, while Weiyi had already made strategic moves in this sector. Driven by a sense of responsibility to promote the healthy development of the industry through data analysis and current status investigations, and sharing the vision of maximizing ART technological advancements and supporting services, Beibeike’s trajectory aligns perfectly with the development trend of the Weiyi-Beilian partnership.

Regarding this strategic controlling stake, You Changqiao, Co-Chairman and CEO of WeDoctor Beilian, stated: “Despite the favorable national fertility policies, the fertility rate remains far below expectations. As a company dedicated to maternal and child health services, we have observed that alongside declining willingness to have children, there is a growing number of individuals who ‘wish to conceive but cannot.’ Based on our analysis of industry data and investigations into the current market landscape, we believe the assisted reproductive technology (ART) sector offers broad prospects. We are further driven by the aspiration to enhance the public’s happiness index through our efforts. Consequently, focusing on the ART sector, BeiBeike naturally emerged as our primary choice.”

Shi Lei, Founder and CEO of Beibeike, candidly stated, “China’s assisted reproductive technology (ART) industry started relatively late, with particularly pronounced uneven development. From a medical perspective, ART medical consortia are connected but not integrated, leading to insufficient efficiency in reproductive centers and challenges such as declining cycle volumes and bottlenecks in technological advancement. Internet-based ART medical consortia can address these issues by optimizing resource allocation and promoting the healthy development of the ART industry. Meanwhile, Beibeike aims to become a leading brand in internet-based ART healthcare. By leveraging the extensive internet platform resources of WeDoctor Beilian, we seek to integrate all stages of ART services, enabling individuals facing infertility to access more abundant, faster, higher-quality, and cost-effective ART services, thereby fulfilling their dreams of parenthood.”

Following the strategic acquisition, how can Beibeike achieve synergy with WeDoctor’s Internet Reproductive Medicine Consortium to resolve the challenge of superficial connectivity without true integration within assisted reproductive medicine consortia? Shi Lei believes that the following advantages exist:

First, both parties will commit to building a matrix of internet-based reproductive medicine alliances, actively expanding offline physical hospitals. By leveraging technological support from Internet+, AI, and big data, they will effectively disseminate professional expertise and medical resources, enhance the diagnostic and treatment capabilities of subordinate hospitals in relevant specialties, and efficiently facilitate vertical integration between upper- and lower-tier institutions, thereby enabling the public to enjoy more convenient, efficient, and high-quality medical services.

Second, build a closed-loop service system and integrate the entire industry chain platform. Aibeike is a highly creative brand that has already established a comprehensive closed loop in its assisted reproductive technology (ART) layout. Its whole-process ART health management concept promotes the holistic development of the industry. With the support of WeDoctor Beilian, Aibeike is further empowered to accelerate brand expansion.

Third, it benefits from government support and multiple collaborative channels, such as holding China’s only license for an internet-based maternal and child health hospital, serving as the sole partner for the national “Creating a High-Quality Waiting Environment” initiative, and establishing partnerships with numerous government and social institutions.

Fourth, it enjoys comprehensive support from WeDoctor Group. As is well known, WeDoctor is recognized as a leading internet healthcare unicorn in China. Prior to this strategic partnership, WeDoctor had already demonstrated its intention to expand into the assisted reproductive technology (ART) sector through initiatives such as strategically investing in New IVF Medical Group and acquiring an 89.5% equity stake in Genea, an Australian provider of integrated ART services, thereby underscoring its determination to enter the ART industry.

It is reported that, seizing this opportunity, WeDoctor Beilian’s nationwide first internet-based women’s and children’s hospital will incorporate a reproductive center into its operations. Through joint ventures and new constructions, it will establish specialized assisted reproductive hospitals, while leveraging its proprietary diagnostic decision-support system to precisely monitor the quality of sperm, oocytes, and even embryos, thereby creating a leading academic hub in assisted reproduction. Furthermore, both parties will aggressively expand the distinctive model of the internet-based reproductive medical consortium, linking reproductive centers across China into a reproductive matrix with optimized resource allocation.

Why invest heavily in hospitals? Shi Lei explained: “Assisted reproductive medicine is, at its core, a patient-centered treatment. Offline hospitals that directly serve patients are the showcase projects for high-end assisted reproduction. Through mergers and acquisitions, investments, and joint ventures, we will leverage advanced management expertise in assisted reproductive healthcare to establish IVF brands as centers of disciplinary excellence. Referrals within assisted reproduction are inevitable, and an internet-based medical consortium for reproductive medicine requires benchmark hospitals as its physical foundation.”

Beike is currently optimizing and reshaping its existing insurance and financial installment products to deepen its vertical focus on assisted reproductive medicine, enabling patients with infertility to receive more comfortable treatment. It will also promote specialized models such as preconception care centers and reproductive health stations to primary care levels, empowering grassroots infertility specialty clinics.

A comprehensive model integrating medical care, pharmaceuticals, testing, and insurance expands the strategic landscape of assisted reproduction from traditional single-treatment approaches into a holistic platform encompassing online consultations, e-prescriptions, medication delivery, health management, doctor-patient relationship management, reproductive insurance, financial installment plans, and a matrix of medical consortiums.