London-based fertility tech startup, Béa Fertility, has secured $3.2m in funding to release its first at-home fertility treatment. The financing round, led by Octopus Ventures, brings the company’s total funding to $4.2m. Co-participants included JamJar and Forward Partners, as well as existing investors Calm/Storm and Q Ventures.
Making Clinical-Grade Fertility Care Accessible
Béa Fertility, spearheaded by femtech expert Tess Cosad and product engineer George Thomas, has taken a monumental step in making clinical-grade fertility care accessible to everyone, even at home. Their mission is to redefine the landscape of fertility care, especially in a world where such care is often limited and costly.
Béa has developed a clinical-grade at-home fertility kit that enables users to carry out a treatment called Intracervical Insemination (ICI) safely at home. This treatment, termed 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, during which users can continue their day as usual. Pregnancy can be tested for two weeks post-treatment.
Eliminating Invasive Procedures
The Béa Treatment eliminates the need for invasive hormone injections and clinical procedures. “ICI has been shown to have 50 percent efficacy over six cycles of treatment and was recently included in the NICE clinical guidelines alongside IUI and IVF. The UK’s IVF success rate is 27 percent,” Cosad elaborated. Béa Treatment is designed to be used at home and can be used with donor semen.
Addressing Inequality in Access to Fertility Care
The road to fertility treatment is complex, and the costs can be daunting, especially for underserved groups, including the LGBTQIA+ community. Béa Fertility aims to address this inequality in access to fertility care by providing more inclusive, clinical-grade fertility treatments that people can use in the comfort of their own homes.
“By launching the world’s largest at-home fertility study, we’re also working to help close the fertility data gap to help improve the future of fertility care – people need better access to earlier interventions on their family-building pathway,” adds Cosad.
The Béa Treatment Kit: A Game-Changer
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. The treatment is available to purchase online via Béa’s website now.
Collaboration with the NHS
Béa Fertility is launching a pioneering pilot to trial the use of the Béa Treatment Kit within the NHS. Working in partnership with South Fulham Primary Care Network, the company will provide direct access to fertility treatment in primary care for the first time. From July, 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.
Advice for Healthcare Innovators
“For femtech innovators, we often pitch solutions or products largely misunderstood or considered ‘taboo’. Look for investors who are ready to support them with more than just financial backing – whether that’s introducing you to valuable contacts, providing advice and support throughout the inevitable peaks and troughs, or simply having a deep understanding and passion for what it is you’re trying to achieve. Your investors can be the difference between succeeding at this game or not,” advised Cosad.
The Future of Béa Fertility
The company plans to utilize the funding to continue improving its product and service and expanding its reach. The aim is to make the Béa Treatment available to a broader demographic and help more people have access to affordable, convenient, and quality fertility treatments at home.
