A reproductive well being start-up run by certainly one of Britain’s most distinguished enterprise capitalists has swooped on certainly one of its friends amid rising demand from giant corporations for the availability of fertility and different sexual health-related advantages to their workforces.
Sources stated the deal – value an undisclosed sum – could be introduced publicly on Thursday.
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It would present recent proof of the accelerating consolidation of an space of healthcare which has gained rising prominence as a part of corporations’ worker advantages packages lately.
Fertifa counts Meta – the proprietor of Fb, Instagram and WhatsApp – amongst its shoppers, together with different blue-chip companies such because the non-public fairness agency Hg Capital, H&M, Lululemon, MoFo, Area NK and Virgin Group.
The beginning-up raised £5m in funding from buyers together with Notion Capital, Triple Level Ventures and Speedinvest two years in the past, following an preliminary pre-seed spherical led by Ardour Capital.
Fertifa is the unique supplier of the insurer Aviva UK’s household planning and fertility profit for a lot of of its healthcare schemes.
The beginning-up’s providing is predicated on a per-employee, per-month pricing mannequin, and gives reimbursement administration by charging a 5% price on transaction volumes.
It has additionally broadened its providers lately by including males’s well being, neurodiversity help and a cost plan permitting staff to keep away from up-front prices.
Juniper, which was based by Ambra Zhang and Max Bacon, was set as much as handle a niche within the non-public medical insurance coverage (PMI) market by specializing in reproductive well being protection.
It additionally raised funding from exterior buyers, together with Insuretech Gateway and 2100.
The fast progress of personal fertility service suppliers has given rise to higher scrutiny of their practices, with the collapse of Apricity, one distinguished firm within the sector, on the finish of final yr leaving some IVF sufferers 1000’s of kilos out of pocket and asking questions concerning the unregulated nature of the business.
On the time, an announcement from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) stated it might “only regulate UK licensed fertility clinics, which are the premises where treatments take place”.
“The decision to cease trading was taken by Apricity’s board,” it added.
“The HFEA is unable to help patients obtain a refund nor compensation.
“Sufferers may contact the licenced clinic the place any procedures, comparable to egg assortment, have been as a result of happen.
“We would expect Apricity to ensure that any eggs, sperm or embryos stored in the UK are looked after.”
One market supply stated that Fertifa’s acquisition of Juniper would strengthen its place as an rising chief within the sector.
Different company offers within the business have included Nasdaq-listed Progyny’s buy of Apryl, a Verlin-based fertility advantages platform, in June 2024.
Ms Burbidge and Juniper declined to touch upon the deal on Wednesday forward of a proper announcement.
