Sprout Family Closes $1.7M CAD in Oversubscribed Pre-Seed Round to Expand Accessible Fertility Benefits for Canadians

March 17, 2025

Toronto, ON – March 17th – Sprout Family, a Toronto-based startup on a mission to make fertility, surrogacy, and adoption care accessible to all Canadians, has announced the closing of its $1.7 million CAD oversubscribed pre-seed funding round. The all-equity round was led by StandUp Ventures with participation from Blue Collective, MaRS Investment Accelerator Fund (IAF), The51, and Boon Fund, among others.

Founded by Jackie Hanson and Suzanne Mason, Sprout Family is transforming the way Canadians access and afford reproductive care. The company empowers employers to include comprehensive fertility, surrogacy, and adoption benefits in their health plans, ensuring that individuals and couples have the opportunity to build a family regardless of financial barriers.

“The Canadian market has been underserved in fertility care for far too long,” says Jackie Hanson, CEO & co-founder of Sprout Family. “This funding round is a testament to the urgent need for accessible care in Canada. We’ve built our platform to fill that gap by enabling employers to offer inclusive reproductive health benefits, creating equal opportunities for all Canadians.”

"At StandUp Ventures, we invest in bold, mission-driven founders who are building innovative solutions to real-world challenges,” says Michelle McBane, managing director at StandUp Ventures. “The Sprout Family team embodies this vision, bringing deep personal commitment and passion to improving fertility care in Canada. They understand firsthand the gaps in women's health and are dedicated to creating meaningful change. We're proud to support them as they scale their platform, enhance their product, and expand access to inclusive fertility benefits nationwide.”

Sprout Family's platform provides personalized support through unlimited telehealth appointments with specialists, access to a curated network of fertility clinics & agencies, and educational resources. The company supports various family-building paths, including IVF, IUI, egg/sperm freezing, surrogacy, and adoption, ensuring inclusivity for all family structures and needs.

Infertility affects 1 in 6 couples in Canada. Yet, most face significant educational and financial barriers when seeking treatment. Unlike the U.S., where 45 per cent of large employers offer some form of fertility coverage, less than 2 per cent of Canadian employers cover both drug and treatment costs. This disparity presents a massive opportunity for growth as employers increasingly recognize the need for local solutions to support their employees' family-building journeys.

“The No. 1 barrier to fertility care in Canada, and likely the world, is the upfront out-of-pocket cost for patients, yet many employers still overlook the need for comprehensive fertility benefits. Sprout Family’s work is a critical step forward in changing that, making reproductive healthcare more accessible and inclusive for all Canadians,” says Carolynn Dubé, executive director of Fertility Matters Canada.

As the demand for fertility services continues to rise, Sprout Family is at the forefront of providing forward-thinking benefits solutions to employers looking to support their workforce’s diverse family-building needs. 

About 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 effective reproductive care they need to build their families. For more information about Sprout Family and their mission to make fertility care more accessible, visit www.sproutfamily.ca.

For media inquiries, please contact: media@sproutfamily.ca