Oula (the first modern maternity care clinic combining the best of obstetrics and midwifery care) announced it raised a $28 million Series B funding round co-led by Revolution Ventures and Maverick Ventures, with participation from GV and existing investors, including the Female Founders Fund, 8VC, Alumni Ventures, and Great Oaks. And with nearly $50 million in total funding, Oula plans to expand its technology-enabled and hybrid care approach to more markets beyond New York City and launch new services for those in their reproductive years.
Maternity care in America is fundamentally broken. This new funding and investor interest reflects the enormous market opportunity for rebuilding the consumer experience during a loyalty-defining moment for the most valuable consumer in healthcare. And since 2021, Oula has been leading the way to rebuild a better experience for patients with its unique care model that addresses the needs of consumers, health systems, and payers alike.
In the past year, Oula announced the third NYC clinic while outperforming benchmarks on patient experience and outcomes. And in comparison to NYC benchmarks, Oula consistently outperformed on patient outcomes and experiences across 1,500 births through their collaborative care model, delivering a 26% better C-section rate, vs. NYC benchmarks, a 61% lower preterm birth rate, and a 50% better low birth weights rate.
The U.S. maternity care system was designed to serve high-risk pregnancies even though most are low-risk. And studies show that a one-size-fits-all approach that treats every pregnancy as high-risk can lead to more interventions, and leave some patients without the services they need.
Research shows that midwifery-led care leads to lower rates of preterm birth and 30-40% lower cesarean birth rates, and rates of vaginal birth after cesarean that are nearly twice as high. And they also drive a 3x improvement in patient satisfaction with maternity care. A number of state-based regulations impose logistical requirements that make it difficult for midwives to practice – and insurers don’t always cover prenatal and postpartum midwifery care.
Rather than waiting for the standard eight-week ultrasound, Oula enables patients to book an appointment as soon as their positive pregnancy test as well as continuing to support patients in the postpartum period with weekly “Postpartum Office Hours.” Oula also plans to announce preconception coaching visits and expanded miscarriage support options in the coming year.
KEY QUOTES:
“The power of Oula’s collaborative approach to care is that patients feel seen and heard during a transformative moment in their lives, health systems are able to address the evolving expectations of their communities, and we can move the needle on unacceptable outcomes and disparities in maternal care.”
- Adrianne Nickerson, CEO and Co-Founder of Oula
“Pregnancy outcomes in the US have consistently deteriorated over the past two decades. Oula is solving this mounting crisis by reimagining the maternal experience with midwifery-first, team-based care supported by virtual wrap-around services and a tech-enabled platform. We’re excited to partner with the team as Oula scales its care model and empowers women to receive personalized, trusted support throughout pregnancy.”
- Clara Sieg, Partner and Founding Member at Revolution Ventures
“We’re thrilled to back a company that effectively aligns the needs of mothers, health systems, and payers, and breaks the false binary between unmedicalized and hypermedicalized care.”
- David Singer of Maverick Ventures
“We’ve not only proven that this model works, but that it’s what patients from all backgrounds, birth preferences, and income levels are looking for. Whether you can afford concierge care or are on Medicaid, we are building a modern and compassionate pregnancy care model that delivers better outcomes than the system has proven to do.. We deserve better and yes, you can have it all.”
- Elaine Purcell, COO and Co-Founder of Oula
“Oula is distinct in the pregnancy landscape today not only in redesigning the standard pregnancy and birth experience, but also in filling the gaps where the medical system typically fails patients: early pregnancy care and postpartum. Even when there aren’t any medical needs, these are times when people need emotional support. Miscarriages are extremely common, so I was shocked at how isolated I felt when I had my own miscarriage. It’s not considered a big deal medically, but it’s a very big deal when you are going through it,” she added.
- Joanne Schneider, Oula’s Chief Experience Officer
