Fertility impacts 1 in 6 couples, yet access to fertility care is severely lacking globally. Fertility clinics have been selling the same expensive treatments for decades and a number of groups remain underserved, including the LGBTQIA+ community, single people, and parents experiencing secondary infertility. London-based fertility tech startup – Béa Fertility aims to fill this gap by creating inclusive, clinical-grade treatments that can be used at home.
Launch of its at-home treatment kits on cards
Now, the London startup has raised £2.5 million in funding in an investment round led by Octopus Ventures (which backed Flock and Kita) and joined by JamJar and Forward Partners, with additional participation from existing investors Calm/Storm and Q Ventures.
With this round, the total funding raised by Béa Fertility accounts for $4.2 million. The fresh funds will be used by the company to release its first groundbreaking at-home Béa Treatment Kits to early adopters in the UK next week. It is also launching a pilot to trial the use of the kit within the NHS.
From this month, GPs at South Fulham PCN will be able to refer patients seeking fertility support to Béa Fertility, expanding the fertility services and support offered through the PCN’s Women’s Health Hub. The Béa pilot will unlock new, more inclusive routes to fertility care within the NHS.
Tess Cosad, CEO and co-founder at Béa Fertility stated, “This latest injection of funding – from experienced investors with a proven track record of backing successful fertility and femtech businesses – will enable us to get our pioneering treatment in the hands of the people who need it most. We can’t wait for people to try it.”
Richard Reed, Innocent Smoothie founder and founding partner of JamJar, commented, “The proudest investment I’ve ever made – helping those who are struggling to start a family to do so, and to do so naturally. The success of this business is going to be measured in the number of newborn babies.”
Kirsten Connell, Investor at Octopus Ventures, stated, “At Octopus Ventures we back founders who are changing the world for the better. We invest where we can make the greatest positive impact. When it comes to starting a family there are few things in life more meaningful than this. Béa Fertility who is reimagining the fertility care pathway, was a clear vision we wanted to get behind. We’re delighted to have joined Tess and her team on this journey.”
Brian Hatton, Partner at Q Ventures, said, “We backed Tess and the Béa team at the idea stage in their 2021 pre-seed round and they have made incredible progress since. Their at home product is truly a groundbreaking new step in the fertility care pathway, and we are excited to continue to support this incredible group as they launch and scale.”
Revolutionary at-home fertility treatment kit
The first Béa Fertility Treatment Kit enables users to carry out a simple fertility treatment called Intracervical Insemination (ICI) safely at home. The treatment is creating a revolutionary new stepping stone on the fertility pathway that can be explored in advance of costly and invasive procedures like IVF and Intrauterine Insemination (IUI).
The Béa Treatment involves placing a small cervical cap containing semen at the cervix using a clinically-approved applicator. The cap is left in situ for an hour; and during that time, users can go about their days as normal. Two weeks after treatment, users test for pregnancy. There are no invasive hormone injections or clinical procedures involved. The Béa Treatment is designed to be used at home and can be used with donor semen.
The first Béa treatment is available to purchase online via Béa’s website now. The first users to purchase a kit will pay just £350 for three ICI treatment cycles, with one Treatment Kit delivered at the beginning of each menstrual cycle throughout the three-month treatment program. The program is targeted at users currently trying to conceive.
At full price, the Béa Treatment Kit will retail at £700 for three treatment cycles, less than 1/20th the cost of IVF.
The first people to purchase a Treatment Kit and join the Béa community will be contributing to the world’s largest at-home fertility treatment study. During this initial treatment roll-out, Béa will be collecting observational and efficacy data to close the data gap surrounding infertility. Over 1,000 people have already signed up to take part
The Béa Applicator is a new take on ICI, designed by experts to help users perform fertility treatment in the comfort of their own homes. In addition to the Béa Applicator, users are provided with ovulation and pregnancy tests in their kit, alongside on-demand access to the Béa Fertility Library, the Béa Treatment App, and live support delivered by the Béa Care Team.
World’s largest at-home fertility treatment study
Co-founded by Tess Cosad and George Thomas in 2020, Béa Fertility is making clinical-grade fertility care available at home. Its aim is to take the pain, confusion and cost out of fertility care, and build accessible, affordable at-home treatments that work for everyone.
The company revolutionises an effective fertility treatment called Intracervical Insemination (ICI). It is a proven, clinical-grade fertility treatment that can help people conceive.
Reportedly, ICI has been shown to have 50% efficacy over 6 cycles of treatment and was recently included in the NICE clinical guidelines alongside IUI and IVF. The UK’s IVF success rate is 27%.
