Flourish Care, a maternal healthcare platform, has raised $5.7 million in seed funding to grow its doula network, the startup shared exclusively with MedCity News.
Based in Boston Care Flourish provides in-person and virtual doula support before, during and after pregnancy. Patients are matched with a doula based on various factors, such as cultural preferences, language preferences, and location. Doulas provide birth plan and advocacy support, comfort and pain management, feeding support, sleep counseling, childbirth education and more. The company works largely with Medicaid, but is also in-network with several commercial projects.
The seed round was led by Zeal Capital Partners, with participation from Create Health Ventures, Collide Capital, Rogue Women’s Fund, Symphonic Capital, Slater Technology Fund and Catalytic Impact Foundation.
“The policy and payer landscape has finally caught up with what families have always needed. Flourish Care is building the scalable model that will fundamentally integrate doula care into clinical workflows, insurance networks and women’s lives,” Nasir Qadree, founder and managing partner of Zeal Capital Partners, said in a statement.
With this funding, Flourish Care is focused on expanding nationally over the next two years, said Melissa Bowley, founder and CEO of Flourish Care. The company currently has doulas in 18 states. He recently I went online with UnitedHealthcare, expanding doula support for employers.
Additionally, the funding will advance its data platform and technology to identify higher-risk patients and intervene earlier, Bowley added.
Bowley started Flourish Care in 2020 after receiving support from a doula during her own pregnancies. She previously worked in the medical device industry.
“[Insurance wasn’t] “After doing all this research, I saw the disparities and maternal health crisis our country was in. So I ditched medical devices after having a doula with both of my children – who was absolutely amazing and changed the entire course of my birth and postpartum care – and ultimately decided to commit to closing the gaps in maternal health care by making doula care available to everyone.”
And there is a need for more support for doulas. The United States has some of the highest maternal health risks among high-income countries. Doula’s support was proven to reduce the risk of cesarean delivery, premature birth, and NICU admission.
Many other companies provide access to doula support, including Pomelo Care and Pacify. However, these are more focused on virtual support rather than in-person care like Flourish.
Ultimately, Bowley hopes to make doula care the norm in the United States.
“Many other countries are implementing this type of support, and they have been able to reverse their mortality and morbidity rates through this community support. We want to be that community partner alongside clinical teams and patients,” she said.
Photo: Damircudic, Getty Images
