Child Body TC-1 Part 1: Origin Story
When the subject of fertility emerges, we often hear muffled tones discussing someone else’s infertility or their own journey. Sure, celebs have started talking about it, but we’re rarely taught about it in health class. It’s also not typically a topic of discussion during holiday hors d’oeuvres.
At a time when the world battles health and wellness inequalities, reproductive health care is still largely ignored in the conversation. The science and medicine surrounding fertility is presented with an air of complexity that, more often than not, leaves patients feeling lost, scared and lonely.
It is far from easy to change a system that is reactionary rather than proactive. To achieve even marginal improvement, one would have to thread the needle of education, accessibility and perhaps put compassion above profit and growth.
friendliness appears to be one of the few startups in the space that is well on its way to meeting this mammoth challenge. The approach also differs drastically from that of most fertility service providers – it has smart, intelligent marketing; a technically supported and fully virtual healthcare institution; a focus on compassion; and comprehensive customer education to help patients feel engaged and understood.
The company today has 12 retail locations in ten cities in the US and is rapidly ramping up its scale with more than $154 million raising to date. Kindbody strives to be a one-stop shop for fertility, gynecology and wellness services, providing services to heterosexual couples, single mothers of choice and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Gina Bartasi launched Kindbody, her third fertility startup, in 2018 after her own journey helped her understand how broken and antagonistic the system is. With a view to inclusiveness, holistic care and reducing friction in the patient process, Bartasi and her team created one of the few healthcare companies that are making a difference.
The first thing I noticed on my fertility journey was that every doctor I saw in the fertility industry was an older white male. Gina Bartasi, founder of Kindbody
In this first part of this TC-1, we explore Bartasi’s journey, the issues in the fertility space, the difference clear pricing and communication can make, and how eliminating the white coats and displaying diplomas around Kindbody’s offices has made a difference. helped become one of the favorite destinations for fertility treatments.
Approach to how we approach fertility
Bartasi originally owned a media company in Atlanta, but sold it after she got married and moved to New York City to be with her husband. When she was 38, she and her husband decided to try to have a baby, and, like many women a decade ago, they were faced with an experience far from the warmth and care one would expect at such an intimate setting. time.
“The first thing I noticed on my fertility journey was that every doctor I saw in the fertility industry was an older white male,” she told me. “I was treated like a subordinate, as if the doctor was all-knowing and our mission was to do exactly as he said even though I paid $25,000 regardless of whether I had any success or not.”
Gina Bartasi, founder of Kindbody. Image Credits: friendliness
This experience led her to launch her first fertility startup, Fertility Authority, in 2008, a fertility clinic content platform and review website for people with infertility.
A few years later, in 2015, the company was renamed Progyny after being bought by Kleiner Perkins and TPG Biotech. The content platform was retained, but the company’s focus was on selling fertility benefits to independent employers.
While a fertility insurance solution seemed like a great idea, the reality of how healthcare is set up in the US created some significant roadblocks.