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 BeautyDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → 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.