Toronto-based Sprout Family has announced the closing of a $1.7 million CAD pre-seed round to address the accessibility gap in fertility, surrogacy, and adoption care for Canadians. The funding, completed in October, was led by StandUp Ventures with participation from Blue Collective, MaRS Investment Accelerator Fund, The51, Boon Fund, and several Canadian angel investors who remain unnamed.
Founded in 2023 by CEO Jackie Hanson and COO Suzanne Mason, Sprout Family has developed a platform that enables employers to incorporate comprehensive fertility, surrogacy, and adoption benefits into their existing health plans. The company works directly with human resources and benefits teams, who then provide access to their employees.
The Sprout platform offers educational family planning resources, connects users to a network of fertility clinics and surrogacy agencies, and provides unlimited telehealth appointments with specialists. Employers can enhance their benefits package with Sprout Pay, which offers financial support for expenses related to fertility treatments, medications, surrogacy, and adoption.
According to the World Health Organization, approximately one in six people worldwide experience infertility. While treatments exist, many are prohibitively expensive and aren’t typically covered by Canadian employer health plans.
Navigating surrogacy in Canada presents additional complexity due to legal restrictions. Although the Assisted Human Reproduction Act prohibits paying surrogates or agencies that arrange surrogacy services in Canada, intended parents still face significant costs for medications, travel, and non-covered medical services.
“We help our members navigate the complexities of both Canadian and international surrogacy, including process mapping, connection to legal support, and guidance on agency selection,” Hanson told BetaKit. “We help our members choose between domestic and international options based on what’s best for them and their goals.”
The new funding will support Sprout’s market expansion through partnerships with insurers, benefits brokers, and employers. The company also plans to enhance its platform with improved personalization and information transparency.
“We recognize that every path to parenthood is unique, and we’re committed to ensuring that everyone who needs support—whether for fertility treatments, surrogacy, egg freezing, adoption, or other family-building options—has access to the right resources and care,” Hanson said.
Currently, Sprout employs five full-time staff members—a team established shortly after securing the funding—and works with five part-time contractors. Hanson indicated that expanding the care team is a priority in the coming months to support Sprout’s growing membership base.
Since launching last year, Sprout has experienced significant growth and investment in fertility benefits, now supporting thousands of members across Canada. The company has formed partnerships with major Canadian insurance providers, including Canada Life, giving them distribution access to over 10 million covered Canadians.
