Founders Everywhere: Lauren Makler
Lauren Makler is the co-founder and CEO of Cofertility, a human-first fertility ecosystem, striving to make egg freezing and third party reproduction more accessible for all.
Welcome to Founders Everywhere, where we highlight the incredible people behind the companies we’ve backed at Everywhere Ventures, a global pre-seed fund supported by a community of 500 founders and operators.
While modern science has evolved, fertility treatment, in particular egg freezing and egg donation remain outdated, costly, and often impersonal. Cofertility is changing that by building a more accessible, human-centered model, one that empowers people to take control of their fertility on their own terms. They are reimagining egg donation as a mutually beneficial and ethical experience. With the recent close of their Series A round, Cofertility is scaling its impact and continuing to deliver on its mission to expand fertility access for all. Through their innovative Split program, women can freeze their eggs for free when they donate half to intended parents who can’t otherwise conceive. They also receive free storage of their remaining eggs for up to 10 years. If you or someone you know (ages 21-34) is interested in their program take the quiz here.
Lauren Makler is the co-founder and CEO of Cofertility. Previously, she was an early Uber employee, where she created Uber Health and helped millions of patients access care through innovative transportation solutions. In 2023, Lauren was named one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business. She teamed up with co-founder Halle Tecco, a trailblazer in digital health, who founded Rock Health and Natalist (acquired by Everly Health). Halle also has an MBA from Harvard and an MPH from Johns Hopkins University with a concentration in Women’s and Reproductive Health. They were both inspired by their personal fertility journeys to build a company that expands access to egg freezing and egg donation for all. Lauren shares more about Cofertility and their family-building options that put you first.
What’s CoFertility’s North Star?
Our North Star is helping people have babies, whether that’s today or someday. We make egg freezing more accessible, egg donation less transactional, and fertility care more equitable, transparent, and human-centered.
What’s the inspiration behind Cofertility?
My co-founder Halle came up with the idea, but we were both inspired and deeply passionate about the mission due to our own personal experiences with fertility. Years ago, I was diagnosed with a rare disease that left me uncertain about whether or not I’d be able to have children. I looked into egg donation, but was put off by how transactional and outdated the process was. My sister froze her eggs and donated them to me, which allowed me to make life decisions without pressure from my biological clock. In the end, I didn’t need to use them, but just knowing I had the option was incredibly empowering. Halle had her own fertility journey and regretted not freezing her eggs earlier in life. Together, we realized that everyone deserves access to having fertility options and the peace of mind that comes with them. We also felt strongly that intended parents in need of egg donation deserved better options.
What sets Cofertility apart?
Execution: We focus on operating efficiently and at scale. You can’t discount execution!
Technology: We’ve built game-changing tech that no one else has in the space.
Brand: We connect with our members in a special way with what we call the “big sister effect.”
Network effect: Our amazing donors attract intended parents, and vice versa, creating growth on both sides
How does Cofertility inspire ‘customer love’?
We get incredible feedback. Just today, I received a photo of Cofertility parents with their baby and the donor together. Traditional egg donation is a black box - you don’t know who your eggs are going to and we hate that. At Cofertility, we enable open, beautiful relationships between donors and recipient parents. Our members on both sides love that.
How do you maintain a work-life balance?
I’m a mom to two young kids, and I decided early on I’d do anything for this company except compromise being a great mom. Every day I make choices about where my time is best spent. Sometimes that means working early before my kids wake up, and always blocking out time for them in the evenings. Every day looks different, but I’m proud that I can say I do my best every day.
Any book recommendations?
I love Super Attractor by Gabby Bernstein. It’s a manifestation book that changed my life.
Interesting fact:
Halle reached out to me about founding Cofertility without even knowing my sister had donated eggs to me. It was meant to be!
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