Case study: delivering results for a company using AI to improve IVF

Ariel Menche
Nov 14, 2024
3 min read

Illustration for a case study on using AI to improve IVF outcomes

In today’s blog post, we’d like to share a story about one of our former clients, Embryonics. They were focused on using Artificial Intelligence to improve the outcomes of IVF (In Vitro Fertilization). This is vital, because, if you know anything about IVF, it’s probably that the procedure is very expensive with long odds of success.

The short version

Embryonics was trying to raise again, but it had no way to show an investor where the business was going.
We built the fundraising models, set the commercialization strategy and set the pricing, turning qualitative plans about products, timelines and markets into numbers.
The model was used across several fundraising conversations, and the company then put us in charge of its commercialization strategy.
Embryonics was later acquired by Rhea Fertility.

This year, the HHS reports the average cost for a single round of IVF between $15,000 to $20,000 and can exceed $30,000. And the average number of rounds of IVF to become pregnant is 2.5. According to Forbes, the average chance of conceiving is 30%.

The number of biotech companies using AI to improve IVF is growing rapidly as the technology improves. Embryonics had raised money, but it just didn't have a financial model. It was trying to raise more money and they needed some sort of projections to understand where their business was going. They had no idea of how to think about the business and they had a variety of different types of products and the development times.

And that’s where Raftel Strategy came in to help.

We built out their fundraising models.
We built out a commercialization strategy.
We set the pricing strategy with them.

Basically, our CEO Ariel Menche worked with Embryonics to take their qualitative ideas of product development, timeline, and markets and quantify them, eventually putting them into a strategic model we created to help them do fundraising.

So, did we deliver?

Embryonics used the strategic model we created for a number of fundraising purposes. And while we can’t disclose how much money they raised, they loved the model and the process so much they put Ariel in charge of their commercialization strategy.

More importantly, they were able to prove their value to potential suitors, and were purchased by and rolled into Rhea Fertility, a company dedicated to revolutionizing the way intended parents experience reproductive healthcare and focused on delivering a seamlessly integrated experience via a patient-first platform fueled by cutting-edge technology, personalized services with top practitioners, operators, and investors.

This is just one example of how Raftel Strategy applies the principles of strategic finance to our clients. Unlocking strategic finance happens in 5 phases:

Good data
Good models
Strategy-based budgeting
Good reporting
Data-focused culture

Ariel has spent over a decade of his life helping clients like the WWE and the Elton John AIDS Foundation save millions by getting a clearer view of their finances.

Our best results come from working as a partner rather than a vendor: we build the strategy with the client, then keep the numbers behind it honest. We have done that for 100+ clients in the US and Israel. If you are raising and need a model an investor will believe, get in touch.

Summary

To help Embryonics get a handle on where their business was going

We quantified ideas about product development, timeline, and markets.
We used this data to develop fundraising models.
We built out a commercialization strategy.
We set the pricing strategy with them.
Embryonics not only used these models for fundraising, but they also helped them prove their value to potential suitors, resulting in the successful sale of their company.