Mate Fertility's Money Will Help Expand Access to Affordable Care, But Gaps Remain

Mate Fertility’s $5.2 Million Series A Will Help Expand Access to Affordable Care, But Significant Gaps Remain 

Fertility services are widely needed in America but remain available only to a narrow slice of the population. 

Infertility affects an estimated 1 in 6 heterosexual couples, but the number of people needing access to fertility care is far more significant when you take into account LGBTQIA+ individuals, single parents, genetic disease carriers, and those looking to preserve their fertility through egg, embryo, or sperm freezing. Despite this overwhelming demand,  reproductive medical services are often hard to come by. 

The most significant barrier is financial, as such services are rarely covered by insurance, and have a median cost of $19,200 for just one cycle of IVF. Even those with the means to afford care, access is often limited to certain geographical areas, as 80% of America’s 460 fertility clinics are all concentrated in five major metropolitan areas. 

Throw in historic biases — and, in some cases, outright discrimination — intended to limit access for non-heterosexual couples and minority groups, and you began to understand the scale of the problem, or perhaps the size of the opportunity. That’s the way Gabriel Bogner saw things when he conceived of Mate Fertility. 

“When we started Mate Fertility, we saw an entire industry that was inadvertently stifling what we view as a human right— the right to start a family. 30% of traditional clinics won’t serve the LGBTQ+ population, since their need for care isn’t due to the same reasons as heterosexual couples like egg viability and low sperm count, stated Gabriel Bogner, Mate Fertility’s queer co-founder. “Beyond just that community - my community - we were simply shocked that a nation of 330 million people with dangerously low and declining birth rates didn’t have a fertility clinic in every community. Our aim was to create a model that could expand access to affordable care to every corner of this country, and that’s exactly what we’re beginning to do.” 

That passion for broadening access to care is what inspired Gabriel to co-found Mate Fertility in 2020. They say the company’s high-tech approach affords them a unique ability to offer fertility services at a fraction of the cost — up to 40% lower than traditional providers. It’s also what inspired them to set up operations in fertility care deserts across the country. 

With the help of $2.8 million in seed funding they launched their first clinic in Oklahoma City in 2020 and have since opened additional locations in Bakersfield and Fresno California. This week the company closed a series A round of $5.2 million, led by Struck Capital and Cortado Ventures — and anchored by Revolution's Rise of the Rest Seed Fund and Oklahoma Life Science Fund (OLSF) — which will help fuel further expansion into Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Northern Virginia, and many more corners of the country where access remains limited. 

"This investment not only validates Mate’s mission and potential but also enables us to pursue our ambitious growth plans,” said CEO Traci Keen. “We are grateful for the trust and support of our investors, and we look forward to utilizing these funds to fuel our expansion, enhance our offerings, and ensure more Americans have access to affordable family planning and fertility services.” 

Mate’s mission to democratize fertility services is also proving to be good business. As Keen and Bogner have discovered there is significant demand for fertility treatment, and a major gap in the market for those who don’t fit the traditional requirements for access to care. 

“Fertility is still considered a niche industry within public health, and the network of clinics that exist today has left most of the country underserved,” said Keen. “Mate has the opportunity to fill in the significant gaps that remain for those seeking care.” 

She explains that the company works closely with OBGYN partners, providing the logistical support and education they need to offer fertility services to underserved communities at affordable prices. That includes assistance in building out an IVF lab, marketing support, and upskilling through didactic learning, simulation training and proctoring. 

“Our approach leans on taking advantage of the latest technologies and strategies, which often requires training OBGYN partners on methods and tools they haven’t interacted with previously,” said Keen. “We also ensure that the partners are aligned with our mission and vision, and we continue to monitor patient feedback along the way to ensure we maintain a high quality of care.” 

Thus far the approach has proven successful. At its flagship location in Oklahoma City Mate boasts a pregnancy rate 22% higher than national averages, at a price point that’s between 30% and 40% lower than its local competition. 

As the company eyes expansion plans co-founder Gabriel Bogner says they’ve hardly scratched the surface of what’s possible. He says there were 300,000 cycles of IVF performed across 460 clinics in 2021; meeting the true demand would require about 3,000 clinics to provide roughly 3 million cycles per year. 

“Now that we’ve proven what’s possible, we’re excited to take things to the next level,” he said. “We know there’s a massive unmet need for fertility services in this country, and with this latest funding round we have the opportunity to continue expanding the scope of who has access — and we’re just getting started.” 

Adam Struck of Struck Capital, Mate Fertility’s lead investor, explained, “The supply-demand imbalance when it comes to fertility care in the United States is a major challenge, but the solution is quite simple when you break it down – we need more doctors that are able to provide fertility care to patients. By upskilling OBGYNs to practice at the top of their licenses and increasing the number of fertility care providers, Mate has the power to transform the healthcare industry and give couples and individuals facing fertility challenges access to the necessary care that has been out of reach to date.”