Oula Health, an NYC startup that promises to offer a “new standard of pregnancy care” with its clinical team of obstetricians and midwives and a remote care platform, launched on Tuesday thanks to a $3.2 million seed funding.
The round was led by the Collaborative Fund. Kate Ryder, founder and CEO of Maven Clinic, a women’s health startup that also raised $45 million earlier this year, and Metrodora, a VC firm co-founded by Chelsea Clinton, also participated.
News of Metrodora’s existence broke just three months ago, and the firm has already invested in a handful of companies in the health and education space. Other companies the firm has publicly invested in include Fiveable, an online social learning platform for high school students, and Poppy Seed Health, an app that allows pregnant people to text questions to nurses, midwives and other maternity experts.
Meanwhile, Oula aims to bridge the two sides of pregnancy — medicine and human nature — by not making its users choose between a heavily medicalized birth with an obstetrician or a “natural birth” at home with a midwife. Instead, the company combines the best aspects of both, offering regular prenatal visits at its clinics, as well as virtual care on its platform.
It also offers a team of obstetricians and midwives who will help during delivery at a nearby hospital. After delivery, Oula helps new mothers by providing regular virtual check-ins alongside their pediatrician, offering further support in those first critical weeks of a new baby’s life.
“Women should be at the center of their healthcare, especially during pregnancy,” Clinton said in a statement. “That experience should be collaborative and holistic and Metrodora is proud to support Oula Health to create an approach that does just that for prenatal and postpartum care.”
Looking ahead, Oula plans to use this seed round to grow its team of experts in the maternity space, including doulas, lactation consultants, therapists and nutritionists who can offer support both in-person and virtually. The company also plans to open a new prenatal clinic in Brooklyn Heights early next year and, later on, a birth center in Manhattan.
