Maternal health startup Cayaba Care has raised $12M in Series A funding round to increase staff, launch in additional markets and further invest in technology solutions that will increase access to much-needed holistic maternity services. The round was led by Seae Ventures and Kapor Capital with participation from Wellington Partners, Citi Impact Fund, and Rhia Ventures. This round brings total funding raised to $15M.
Cayaba Care was founded in 2020 by reimagining how maternity and pediatric care is delivered. The company focuses on bridging the maternal health gap for more than 60,000 U.S. women who are affected by severe maternal morbidity. 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.
Dr. Olan Soremekun, CEO and Co-founder at Cayaba Care shares: “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.”
Seae Ventures Principal and Cayaba Care Board Member Arianne Kidder adds: “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.”
As part of their local-first model, Cayaba Care partners with health systems such as Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia and Penn Medicine, as well as community organizations such as high schools, nonprofits, church groups, and local agencies to provide holistic, home-based care beyond what existing services can provide. Cayaba Care is helping members have healthy deliveries and a comfortable pregnancy journey that takes into account their overall physical, mental, and emotional health for the long term. To do this, Cayaba Care provides a single point of contact, a local, trained Maternity Navigator, support from a diverse staff of nurse practitioners, OBGYNs, lactation consultants, social workers and behavioral health specialists as well as regular in-home and virtual visits to meet patients where they are and remove the cost barrier of transportation, childcare, and time taken off of work.
The company has seen success in establishing this model of healthcare services. They note that patients who are part of the Cayaba Care program, when compared to those who are not are three times more likely to attend their scheduled OB appointments and see a 35% reduction in emergency room visits. Cayaba has also achieved high ratings for their patient care, with over 90% of members saying they would recommend the service to a friend.
