Introducing IVF Disrupted: The Kindbody Story

Kindbody, one of the largest fertility companies in the US, sought to disrupt egg freezing and IVF by combining spa vibes with Silicon Valley efficiency. The startup raised millions, opened dozens of clinics, and became a billion-dollar unicorn. But its ambition came with consequences. In IVF Disrupted: The Kindbody Story, reporter Jackie Davalos takes listeners beyond Kindbody’s millennial-friendly waiting rooms and into the clinics themselves, showing the sometimes-heartbreaking consequences of bringing the “move fast and break things” mentality to the business of creating life. Visit Bloomberg.com/ivfdistrupted to learn more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  I started trying to get pregnant about four years ago now.

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  We were getting a little bit older and a little bit older, and it just kind of felt like that opportunity to have kids, the window could be closing.

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  The women who walked through the clinic's doors had a common reason. Introducing KindBody, a new generation of women's health and fertility care. KindBody promised to revolutionize fertility care. We believe that going to the doctor should feel like a visit with a trusted friend.

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  My coworker, we were walking past the KindBody, and she said, "Oh, my God, they're supposed to be really amazing."

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  Backed by millions in venture capital and private equity, it grew like a tech startup. While KindBody did help women start families, it also left behind a stream of disillusioned and angry patients.

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  You think you're finally with the right people in the right hands, and then to find out again that you're just not.

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  For two years, I've investigated what happens when Silicon Valley's style disruption meets one of medicine's most intimate procedures. Bloomberg and iHeart Podcasts present IVF Disrupted: The KindBody Story. We'll tell you about KindBody's rocketship trajectory through one of healthcare's fastest-growing and least-regulated fields, and the patients who feel like they've paid the price.

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  Don't be fooled.

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  Don't be fooled by what?

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  All the [BLEEP] we were fooled by. All the bright and shiny.

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  Listen to IVF Disrupted: The KindBody Story on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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