When Nader AlSalim and his wife were going through IVF treatments, there was no blueprint and few answers to the myriad questions that arose throughout the opaque process.
“If you had [tried] to design the worst experience in the world,” he says, “you’d end up with this.” After five rounds of IVF, AlSalim and his wife welcomed a son. But the physical, emotional, and financial pain (a single round of IVF treatment typically costs more than $15,000) was considerable, which AlSalim realized was commonplace with IVF.
So the former Goldman Sachs executive director took his frustration with the process and founded IVF-focused insurance company Gaia, whose personalized treatment plans are meant to make the fertility journey more transparent.
Members pay a premium before starting IVF, then Gaia partners with their clinic to handle invoices, provide counseling, and pay for upfront costs. Gaia covers up to six rounds of IVF. If a member has a child as a result, they begin paying back the cost of their treatment in installments over up to eight years. Members who don’t conceive are not expected to pay.
Fifteen babies have been born to Gaia members since it launched in early 2022. Thirty members are pregnant, and hundreds of others have joined the community, which includes access to mental health care, breakfast meetings, and private WhatsApp groups. The brand’s Instagram regularly hosts Q&As and posts infographics to demystify the IVF process. Gaia also positions its employees as IVF experts who give interviews about the process and Gaia’s model to news outlets and parenting podcasts.
This fall, Gaia expanded beyond the U.K. and Spain. AlSalim says that Gaia’s experience-focused approach sets it apart. “The financial products and the accessibility and the delivery of care you can find pretty much everywhere,” AlSalim says. “What you can’t find everywhere is the human touch.”
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