One in ten newborns start their life in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, while cesarean births have increased 41% over the last two decades. In addition, the United States is ranked 55th in the quality of maternal care in the World Health Organization’s maternal mortality rate rankings for 2018. Pomelo Care believes these rates and ranking can be reversed.
While U.S. maternal mortality increased during the pandemic, poor maternal and newborn outcomes in communities of color and rural areas worsened even further. These adverse and disappointing statistics are spurring innovation and attracting investor interest. Such is the case of Pomelo Care which recently raised $33 million in Seed and Series A funding to improve maternal and newborn health.
The virtual medical startup’s mission is to address underlying risk factors, increase pregnant women’s access to care and reduce avoidable costs.
“We know that the right care at the right time can dramatically improve outcomes for families. Everyone deserves access to high-quality care, regardless of their circumstances or health plan,” said Marta Bralic Kerns, founder and CEO at Pomelo Care. “That’s why Pomelo exists – we address patient concerns right away and at home, keeping them out of the emergency room unnecessarily and lowering their risk of pregnancy, postpartum and newborn complications.” Kerns previously held a high-level executive position with Flatiron Health for seven years.
Pomelo offers mothers comprehensive care through multispecialty team of expert clinicians. Care begins before conception and continues through pregnancy, birth and one year postpartum. Women receive benefits that run from prenatal care to nutrition and lactation to mental health.
Much of Pomelo’s success to date has been through the personalized care team each mother receives and the 24/7 access to care the startup provides. Through the platform one-third of patient interactions are outside of traditional clinic hours and have an average response time of five minutes. Pomelo touts its patient satisfaction survey that shows a 4.9/5 average patient satisfaction.
High patient satisfaction and having handled over 2 million lives gained the support of lead venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. The latest funding will help with Pomelo’s ongoing partnership expansion that is already underway. Clients include major health plans such as Medicaid managed care organizations, employers and leading academic medical centers that are directly involved in the national maternal health crisis.
Other participating investors include First Round Capital (who co-led the Seed round), SV Angel, Operator Partners, Allen & Company LLC and BoxGroup. Angel investors include Adam Boehler, Managing Partner of Rubicon Founders and the Former Director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) and Founder of Landmark Health and Puneet Singh, the Former Chief Growth Officer, Diversified Business Group at Elevance.
Most importantly, Pomelo’s maternal health platform addresses maternal health inequities and the root causes of poor outcomes that are reflected in the U.S.’s poor standing compared to other countries. Pomelo already has a presence in 44 states and is using data to predict and proactively identify maternal risk as well as provide holistic care based on evidence-based protocols combined with its uniquely responsive care programs. These results have incited investors to join Pomelo’s cause.
“It’s inexcusable that women in the U.S. face one of the highest national mortality rates from preventable complications during pregnancy – and this statistic is only worsening year over year due to social disparities and systemic gaps in care delivery and access,” said Agarwala, MD, PhD, and General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz.
