Maternity health startup Cayaba Care secures $12m Series A funding to expand access and services to underserved populations

Cayaba Care, a maternity health startup, announced  the closing of a $12 million Series A round that will work to expand the company's footprint within underserved populations. The funding will be used to increase staff, launch in additional markets and further invest in technology solutions that will increase access to much-needed holistic maternity services. The Series A round is led by Seae Ventures and Kapor Capital and includes new investors Wellington Partners, Citi Impact Fund and Rhia Ventures.

Founded in 2020 with a mission to improve community outcomes by reimagining how maternity and pediatric care is delivered, Cayaba Care focuses on bridging the maternal health gap for the more than 60,000 U.S. women who are affected by severe maternal morbidity. This latest round, which totals $15M to date with return investments from 100 percent of its institutional seed round funders (Digitalis Ventures, SteelSky Ventures, Flare Capital), will allow Cayaba to further expand its home-based multidisciplinary care team and provide holistic pregnancy care for the various populations it serves.

Olan Soremekun, CEO and Co-founder, Cayaba Care: "Our team feels grateful to have the opportunity to continue to do this important work. As a former emergency room doctor, a healthcare insurance executive and most importantly, as a father, I have seen the vast gaps in the system for maternity healthcare, particularly affecting communities of color. Through this investment, Cayaba will be able to support pregnant people and families in a meaningful way that will reverse the trend of maternal morbidity for our country."

One of the other ways Cayaba Care seeks to grow and scale a unique solution in this space is by establishing a diverse Series A Board that is 50% Women as well as 50% Black, a rarity given the demographics of the venture capital industry. According to the US Census Bureau, fewer than 4% of healthcare and social services companies are Black-owned, while U.S. women+ digital health dollars make up just 5% of all digital health funding secured, according to data analyzed by Rock Health. By ensuring diverse representation of the populations it serves, Cayaba aims to increase the cultural competency needed to close the maternal morbidity issue that is impacting these underserved populations.

Severe maternal morbidity is defined as an unexpected outcome during pregnancy, labor and delivery or postpartum that has serious short- or long-term health impacts and which largely differs among races and ethnicities with Black mothers being three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. 

Arianne Kidder, Principal, Seae Ventures and Board Member Cayaba Care "I am highly concerned about the maternal morbidity rates trend we are seeing nationwide, particularly when we consider the racial disparities we are seeing in the quality and delivery of healthcare, and in the prevalence of underlying chronic conditions and implicit bias. Our team is proud to invest in and support Cayaba Care's blend of holistic maternity support, proprietary technology and community sourced maternity navigators to ensure that Black women are receiving trusted care and that we are improving health outcomes for birthing moms everywhere."

www.cayabacare.com