Fertility brand Bird&Be raises $13M to back its "both partners" approach

What's the deal? Toronto-based fertility brand The Bird & Be Co.Dealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has raised $13 million in an early-stage round to fund product development, clinical research, and expansion across retail and healthcare providers. BDC Thrive — BDC Capital's $500 million initiative backing women-led businesses in Canada — and BFG PartnersDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → co-led the round. Bam VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Founder Collective, Rejuvenation Ventures, and HSR VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → also participated.

What sets it apart? Bird&Be, which sells at-home fertility tests and supplements, focuses on both male and female fertility. "Male fertility is a feminist issue," says co-founder and chief operating officer Breanna Hughes. "If you are not taking care of the sperm, you are not taking care of the female and her health."

By the numbers: Bird&Be hit eight figures in revenue within its first three years, and revenue is now climbing nearly 100% year over year. Direct-to-consumer sales drive about 85% of the business, and close to 75% of those are subscriptions — a sign couples stay through a years-long process. Healthcare-channel sales are up 200% year over year.

Why now? With fewer than 1,400 fertility specialists practicing in the US and nearly half of counties lacking an OB-GYN, Bird&Be is betting that fertility journeys increasingly start before a clinic visit. Last year it rolled out to more than 300 Ulta Beauty stores, expanding this spring to nearly 1,000 locations.

What's the endgame? The brand is investing part of the raise in a third-party testing program that will publish results on product pages later this year. It has also partnered with Mandell's Clinical PharmacyDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → to reach fertility patients in all 50 states.

What investors see: "Bird&Be is building a category-defining company at the intersection of women's health, consumer health and preventative care," says Mona Minhas, managing partner at BDC Thrive Venture FundDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. Elizabeth Earle, vice president at BFG, adds the brand "pairs a deep body of fertility science with a product experience people actually stick with."

The signal: Capital is pouring into fertility, with Evvy, TiesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Onto, and Perelel among startups that recently raised. Bird&Be's round ranks in the 91st percentile of early-stage wellness beauty deals in Canada, all-time. The company was founded in 2021 by chief executive Samantha Diamond and Hughes after their own fertility struggles exposed gaps in the market.

Image credit: The Bird & Be Co.