Fertility Tech Startup Ovo Labs Secures 4M Pounds in Seed Funding

• Ovo Labs, a startup in fertility technology, raises £4 million in seed funding
• Established by Professor Melina Schuh and Dr. Agata Zielinska
• Emphasizes enhancing egg quality in women above 35 years of age

Ovo Labs, a fertility tech startup co-founded by Professor Melina Schuh and Dr. Agata Zielinska, has secured £4 million in seed funding to bring its pioneering method for enhancing egg quality among women aged over 35 forward. Creator Fund and LocalGlobe led the funding round and will accelerate the company towards clinical trials in partnership with IVF clinics.

The firm is developing therapies designed to counteract the aging process and egg quality deterioration, primarily addressing the increase in genetic defects that occur as women get older. Their innovative technology has been promising in improving the quality of unfertilized human eggs in the lab, which could raise the success rate of IVF treatments.

Our mission is to make it easier for millions of couples who have fertility issues, added Prof. Melina Schuh, who is also an Ovo Labs Scientific Advisor. By doubling the number of viable eggs, we hope to widen the reproductive window and offer solutions to combat declining birth rates in much of the world.

At age 40, over 70 percent of a woman's eggs are likely to have genetic abnormalities, increasing the difficulty in getting pregnant. Success rates of IVF significantly decline at this age, with about 80 percent of treatments being unsuccessful in women who are in their 30s. Ovo Labs wants to break this paradigm.

The startup's roots lie in research at the Max Planck Institute, with Prof. Schuh contributing significant scientific experience, and Dr. Zielinska leveraging her NHS and Francis Crick Institute clinical and research experience. Their efforts have also been complemented by Dr. Oleksandr Yagensky, who contributes strategic experience from Bain & Company.

Their technology, which was tested with the use of highly advanced microscopy and molecular techniques at Bourn Hall Clinic, the first IVF center, has already been found to decrease the incidence of aneuploidy (genetic defect) in eggs. Notably, their therapeutics is formulated to be completely compatible with current IVF protocols, without any additional patient burden.

In addition to LocalGlobe and Creator Fund, investors are Blue Wire Capital, Ahren Innovation Capital, and Antonio Pellicer, founder of the world's largest network of IVF clinics. The backing will assist the company in converting its technology to clinical use.

Creator Fund's Jamie Macfarlane said, "This firm is the product of several decades of ground-breaking research. Ovo Labs can potentially fundamentally transform how, when, and if couples can conceive."

LocalGlobe's Emma Phillips further commented, "Today's IVF success rates are too low. Women and couples are owed better choices—Ovo Labs is providing a true scientific breakthrough to fill that demand."

Ovo Labs has facilities in London and Munich, with R&D being carried out at the Life Science Factory in Munich. The firm has shown enhanced egg quality in aging mice and successfully treated isolated human eggs. It also has robust IP protection for its technology.

With a mission to assist women with age-related fertility problems, Ovo Labs is leading the way in the next generation of reproductive medicine—providing hope to those and solving broader demographic issues.