Serena Williams Invests In Startup For Black Maternal Well being
Serena Williams and Dallas Mavericks proprietor Mark Cuban had been amongst an elite group of enterprise capitalists who invested in Mahmee, a Black-owned healthcare startup geared toward fixing the Black maternal mortality disaster.
In keeping with the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention, Black moms are three to 4 occasions extra prone to die throughout childbirth than another race. Williams personally shared her harrowing expertise giving beginning final yr. After delivering her daughter, Olympia, she skilled a blood clot, however was not initially believed by the hospital workers and practically died.
Beyoncé additionally revealed how she practically died throughout an emergency C-section whereas giving beginning to her twins, Sir and Rumi.
Beyoncé’s and Serena’s supply tales are simply two examples of what hundreds of thousands of Black moms face yearly, which is why Melissa Hanna created Mahmee.
Mahmee permits healthcare suppliers to share care plans, well being data, and infants’ care choices with new and anticipating mother and father. Black moms will be capable of observe their very own well being in addition to their child’s well being data on a customized dashboard on the app.
“Within the maternity healthcare course of, on the floor, there are typically three or 4 individuals concerned: the mom, the child, and every of their physicians. What we don’t see are the various different individuals serving to them: nurses, lactation consultants, midwives, nutritionists, therapists, doulas, dwelling well being aides, social employees, and extra,” Melissa Hanna, CEO and co-founder of Mahmee, stated in an announcement.
“And this trade is missing the IT infrastructure wanted to attach these professionals from completely different organizations to one another and to comply with and monitor sufferers throughout practices and well being programs. This lacking factor creates gaps in care. Mahmee is the glue that connects the care ecosystem and closes the gaps.”
Williams, who invested within the app by her firm Serena Ventures, stated a well being platform reminiscent of Mahmee is “vital” for brand spanking new moms of colour.
“I’m extremely excited to speculate and companion with Mahmee, an organization that personifies my agency’s funding philosophy,” Williams stated in an announcement. “Given the awful knowledge surrounding maternal loss of life and harm charges, I consider that it’s completely vital proper now to put money into options that assist shield the lives of mothers and infants. Mahmee’s data-driven strategy is the fitting answer to one of the vital vital issues within the system: that of fragmented care.”
Cuban, who has acquired a billion-dollar fortune by investing in tech startups, praised the Mahmee for creating “tech answer” to a authentic and lethal downside.
“My funding displays my confidence within the power of this workforce, and the worth of their mission: to fill a significant hole within the current well being care system that only a few others are tackling,” the Shark Tank co-host stated in an announcement. “This tech answer helps usher in the way forward for maternity well being care.”
Different teams that invested in Mahmee embody Cross Tradition Ventures, Acumen America, The Helm, Bumble Fund, and several other others.
