• Fertility startup Cofertility secures $7.25M Series A to grow its unique egg-sharing platform.
  • Through the “Split” program, women can freeze their eggs for free by donating half to intended parents.
  • The model offers affordability, access and a new outlook on egg donation and preservation.

The fertility tech startup, Cofertility, has secured $7.25 million in Series A funding, led by Next Ventures and Offline Ventures.

With participation from Initialized, Gaingels and several other investors, this financing round brings Cofertility’s total funding to $16 million.

The startup was founded by former Uber executive Lauren Makler and health tech angel investor Halle Tecco, who offers women no-cost egg freezing in exchange for donating half the retrieved eggs to those unable to conceive.

The estimated cost of egg freezing is between $10,000 and $15,000 per attempt, which leaves most women unable to afford the expense, especially during their most fertile years.

Cofertility took birth from Makler's personal health and fertility journey, which sparked a rare abdominal disease that led to multiple surgeries and the risk of losing her ovaries in 2018.

Her motivation to learn more about egg donation led her to discover that donors were compensated and the cost of eggs varies significantly, rising even higher for those from certain ethnicities or with those who are highly educated.

“It felt sort of like surge pricing for egg donors, which felt icky to me,” Makler said, referring to Uber’s approach for charging for rides during peak-demand times.  

Although Makler was ultimately able to conceive naturally, the experience inspired her to create a platform that connects women looking to preserve their fertility with those in need of donor eggs.

She proudly claims to have created the only company that offers eggs at scale through its "Split" program.

“At any given time, we have hundreds of donors that are available for intended parents,” Makler said, adding that most clinics will have only a handful of donors, which is unlikely to result in a match.

While Makler doesn’t want to call Cofertility a marketplace, she agrees that it works like one and that her company is solving a big structural problem.

Although the intended parents still cover the egg retrieval costs and Cofertility's coordination fee, they are not required to compensate the donor, which reduces their overall expenses.

This makes egg donation more accessible and highlights the growing role of innovation in improving affordability within the healthcare space.

Edited by Annette George