Today's inspiring startup story

The future of family planning is here

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PROFILE

Today’s inspiring startup story

We love to highlight the great work of our tech ecosystem, and the companies you may not already know about, who are shining a light on specific verticals, sectors, and solutions we can all benefit from.

For today’s company profile, we had the chance to chat with Co-Founder and CEO Jackie Hanson about building Sprout Family and the incredible impacts it is having on reproductive health and family planning.

What is Sprout Family?

Sprout Family is a Canadian digital health company that provides employers with effective and inclusive fertility, surrogacy, and adoption care as part of their employee benefits plans.

Founded in 2023, Sprout Family is dedicated to ensuring all Canadians can access the effective reproductive care they need to build their families.

What inspired this idea?

My journey into the fertility world is deeply personal. My siblings and I are living testaments to diverse pathways to parenthood—adoption and IVF—each route illuminating the complexities and joys of family-building.

This personal history highlighted the gaps in reproductive health education. Many are unprepared for the complexities of family-building, often believing that pregnancy is guaranteed. This misconception can lead to unexpected challenges and emotional strain. I realized that early education and comprehensive support could significantly empower people facing these complex issues.

Suze Mason and I launched Sprout a year ago to address the lack of accessible family-building support in employer benefits. Our mission is to educate and empower individuals on their journeys, providing comprehensive resources and information to help them confidently navigate their family-building paths.

What advice would you share with those trying to build right now?

As an early-stage founder, my advice is twofold: be utterly obsessed with the problem you're solving and cultivate unwavering resilience. For me, this journey began with my own family’s experience with adoption and IVF.

“It’s not just about building a business; it’s about addressing something that really matters.”

Jackie Hanson (CEO)

When you're obsessed with the problem, you dive deep into understanding it. You learn from others who are facing similar challenges, and you start to see things from their perspective. This connection helps you create solutions that are painkillers, not just vitamins. However, obsession alone isn't enough, it must be paired with resilience.

There are A LOT of no’s along the way—from investors, potential partners, and your future customers. Each 'no' is a chance to learn and refine your approach. Let your obsession with the problem guide your innovation, and let your resilience carry you through the inevitable challenges.

What does the next 12 months look like?

Over the next 12 months, we're focusing on three key areas.

First, we’re excited to launch some new exciting distribution channels, which will allow us to reach significantly more Canadians at scale and ensure that our services are accessible to those who need them most.

Secondly, we're committed to developing a thoughtful and human-centric user experience when it comes to supporting the family-building journey. Our goal is to bring transparency to information, data, and forecasting analytics - areas that have historically lacked clarity. We believe this will empower our users to make more informed decisions and feel more in control of their journey.

Finally, as we grow, we will be expanding our team, particularly in tech/product development and customer experience. 

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