Lauren Makler, Arielle Spiegel, and Halle Tecco
Cofounders, Cofertility
FOR PUTTING ALL THE EGGS IN ONE BASKET THOUGH EGG FREEZING HAS
become somewhat commonplace, it’s still an expensive endeavor; one cycle can cost as much as $10,000. Even people with workplace benefits have to shoulder elements such as medications and long-term storage, which can run thousands of dollars. After struggling with their own fertility issues, digital health veterans Lauren Makler, Arielle Spiegel, and Halle Tecco realized that they could make egg freezing more affordable by connecting it to egg donation. In 2022—after securing a $5 million seed round led by Initialized Capital and Offline Ventures—they launched Cofertility. The company lets qualifying people freeze their eggs free of charge if they agree to donate half of them. Cofertility then matches these donors with intended parents who are seeking a donor.
Since Cofertility’s debut last fall, tens of thousands of people have applied to be a part of its egg-freezing programs, and the company has activated hundreds of donors. Their model innovates on the traditional cash compensation structure of egg donation, a fraught exchange that can deter potential donors. The approach also allows donors and intended parents to connect, either via Cofertility’s platform (which shields their identities) or directly, offering an alternative to the total anonymity of traditional egg donation—which is no longer a guarantee, with DNA testing. “Both sides feel like they are going into this process together,” says Makler, who is CEO; Spiegel is CMO, and Tecco serves as the chair.
By making egg donation more accessible, the cofounders hope to diversify the pool of available donors. The results are promising: Of Cofertility’s active donors, nearly half identify as people of color. “A number of folks who come to us [tell] us they have been looking for their egg donor for years and haven’t found someone that they feel either reflects their heritage or that they were excited to move forward with,” says Makler. “It’s the best feeling when we get to facilitate that relationship.”