Combining AI and Wearables to Track Fertility in Women

A startup has made fertility tracking mobile through the use of artificial intelligence (AI).  Ava has developed a wearable that uses big data and analytics to track a woman’s cycle. The company, which has a presence in both San Francisco, CA and Zurich, Switzerland, has raised about $30 million in a series B round.

The majority of the financing came from existing investors including Polytech Ventures, BtoV and SVC Ltd., an investment vehicle of Credit Suisse, along with a few selected new investors to further strengthen the company’s investor base.

Ava said its cycle-tracking sensor bracelet, can detect the 5.3-day fertile window in a woman's cycle in real time, has officially reached a milestone of 10,000 pregnancies among users since launching in July 2016.

The company will use the new funds for further product research and development to enhance the existing product and create new applications that empower women to take control of their reproductive health via data insights and science.

"Ava's long-term vision is to accompany women through all stages of their reproductive life by providing data-driven, clinically proven technology that will make a woman's life easier, healthier and better - be it when they just want to understand their body, while they are trying to prevent pregnancy, trying to get pregnant, are pregnant or entering menopause," Ava Co-founder, Pascal Koenig said in a release.

Ava was also founded by Lea Von Bidder, who serves as its president. 

The company said it is specifically working on applications for use of the bracelet to detect pregnancy and to identify infections during pregnancy, as well as, eventually, for use in preventing pregnancy (contraception).