Millie opens its first maternity clinic after raising ‘female-powered’ US$4m seed round

A California-based maternity clinic has announced the closure of a US$4m seed fundraising round to improve maternity care.

Millie aims to bring together OB/Midwifery care in a clinic model extended with virtual care and remote monitoring, to improve clinical outcomes and experiences from conception through the first year of parenthood.

Its first clinic will open on September 26, next to the Alta Bates Campus in Berkeley, California seeking to start the expansion of its services and repair a fragmented maternity care system.

Millie’s goal is to pair the patient with a care force comprised of an OB-GYN, a midwife, and a doula, ensuring individuals are wholly supported through the physical, mental, emotional, and social changes experienced during pregnancy and parenthood.

Anu Sharma, founder and CEO, says that her personal encounter with the inadequate US maternity care system was a turning point that determined her to establish Millie.

“I had endured an induction, over two days of labor, and an unplanned C-section with near-haemorrhage and, while this was the definition of a high-risk delivery, I was sent home with ‘standard’ care instructions to see my OB in six weeks,” she says.

“That resulted in a near miss. I spoke with Talia, my midwife at the time, and asked her, ‘If you could provide care the way you know people need, what would that look like?’ Today, I’m proud to say that we’re providing that level of attentive care through Millie.”

The services – some of them offered through the clinic’s digital app – provide around-the-clock messaging with providers and a social network.

The app provides mental health support, nutrition counselling, lactation support and digital health checks while patients can also have access to at-home monitoring tools, such as blood pressure cuffs, to promote early detection of complications.

Soraya Darabi, General Partner and Founder of TMV which led the funding round, says: “We are delighted to support Millie in improving maternity experiences nationwide.

“Working with a mission-driven brand that is making personalised, dignified care a pillar of its philosophy has been a gratifying opportunity, and one that we’re pleased to watch expand even further.”

America currently has the lowest overall supply of midwives and OB-GYNs compared with other countries, with levels two to six times greater.

Recent findings from the Commonwealth Fund show there were 17 maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births in the US – more than double that of most other high-income countries.