Tess Cosad, a marketer turned entrepreneur, is the co-founder and CEO of Béa Fertility. Her venture into femtech didn’t stem from a background in science or clinical work, but from a drive to democratize fertility treatments.
"Thinking of all the babies we're going to make — I can't wait," Tess shares. Founded in 2020 in London, Béa brings clinic-level fertility treatment to homes.
Before Béa Fertility, Tess's career spanned various innovative roles. In 2014, she launched Emberson Ventures, a marketing agency focused on technology sectors. This was followed by Hers By Design in 2018, a female-led femtech brand. Her achievements also include leading a digital marketing-focused accelerator program in Saudi Arabia.
Witnessing friends endure strenuous fertility treatments ignited a desire to provide more fair and available options to everyone. "It's horrendous, and we've got to do better," she decided. "If you look at people going on a fertility journey, it’s really unfair what they have to go through to build their families."
Béa's device is a pivot to a tried-and-true clinical method, intracervical insemination (ICI). It’s a simple yet effective technique of artificial insemination: placing semen onto the cervix using a specially designed applicator. "It was wild to me that no one had revived this treatment, which could significantly ease the journey for families," Tess says.
A few fertility devices designed for home use have been developed in the past. Interestingly, one of them is no longer available on the market, while all the others revolve around intercourse. Meanwhile, Béa's philosophy was grounded in two principles: the elimination of the need for intercourse and user-friendly application at home.
The purpose of removing intercourse from the picture is to alleviate stress associated with conception for couples, and accommodate various paths to family building, such as those using donor sperm or facing physical limitations. The thoughtfully designed applicator facilitates the process, enabling the user to locate the cervix on their own — a step that’s not always straightforward. Béa's device ensures that the sperm bypasses the acidic vaginal canal and directly reaches the cervix.
Moreover, Béa is dedicated to deepening the understanding of fertility. The company has developed a comprehensive online fertility assessment, creating one of the UK's largest databases in this domain. This rich dataset is instrumental in understanding individual fertility stories, highlighting the access gap in fertility care and the efficacy of treatments, proving the viability of ICI, assessing the eligibility of Béa applicants, and enhancing user experience with each iteration of the Béa Applicator and Cap.
After its successful launch in the UK, Béa Fertility is now setting its sights on the US market. Classified as a Class II device under the 510(k) category, the team is working to meet FDA requirements, aiming for clearance by late 2024.
Key Learnings From Tess’s Experience
- Prioritize design, especially if you are targeting the consumer market. Be as simple as possible. Don't leave room for your audience to infer or make assumptions about your product. Position and frame it strategically to your target audience.
- Keeping your initial team lean and agile is a great advantage. However, it's crucial not to overlook instrumental roles. Missing key players in pivotal functions can lead to various delays across the entire business.
- Fundraising is a numbers game, and it doesn’t get easier as you progress to larger rounds. But repeating and refining your pitch countless times allows you to clarify your company’s mission and clearly communicate the opportunities ahead.
Tess Cosad is the co-founder and CEO of Béa Fertility, a startup specializing in at-home fertility treatments and ovulation tracking with the goal of providing an effective and affordable alternative to IVF. Prior to Béa, Tess founded Emberson Ventures, a B2B marketing agency, and Hers By Design, a femtech company. She was also the first woman to lead a digital marketing-focused accelerator program in Saudi Arabia.
Designing With the User in Mind
Innovation doesn’t necessarily mean creating new technology from scratch. For Béa, it meant reviving an old clinical method and making it accessible to consumers with a focus on improved design and user experience.
Tess reveals, “Our first hire was a UX researcher and designer. So right from day one, we prioritized user experience.” While there's a technological aspect to Béa's device, the focus isn’t solely on the engineering. "Once the mechanical aspects were set, our attention shifted to continually enhancing the user experience — a process that doesn't stop even after the design freeze and the start of manufacturing," Tess shares.
The journey of perfecting Béa's device involved extensive user research. In the earliest stages, Béa's UX researcher conducted human factor (HF) studies to assess how people interpreted instructions. This was just the beginning of a journey through 16 HF studies, involving 90 different print prototypes of the device. The goal was to achieve a design that was ergonomically easy to use, both individually and with a partner. Tess shares, “There isn't an iteration of the product that's been shipped out the door to a user that I haven't personally tested or where we haven't obsessed over the instructions for use first.”
When you're introducing a medical device, especially for at-home use, simplicity and intuitiveness are key. Tess explains, “There's a human on that side of the experience and they're treating themselves. So they're probably a little nervous. You need to make it as simple as possible for them to understand what it is that you're selling.”
Secondly, when you’re going straight to the consumer, you need to position your product in the market in a way that properly communicates its value. Figuring out where it fits in the market was a crucial part of Béa Fertility's strategy. Tess had two options: placing Béa alongside at-home insemination kits, or having it stand as an alternative to the traditional fertility clinics. This decision would not only define Béa's market segment; it would also establish how people would perceive and value Béa's offering. Tess opted for positioning the product as an alternative to the professional fertility clinics, because otherwise, they would have to compete against bottom-dollar syringes on Amazon, while Béa is deeply devoted to the user experience and customer support.
In summary, when developing a consumer-facing product, try to keep it simple. Don't leave room for your audience to infer or make assumptions. Show them exactly what your product is and what to compare it with. Ask yourself: what is the context you're framing your product within? Who are your competitors, and how do you stand apart? By clearly guiding your audience's understanding, you can shape all subsequent decisions — like what marketing channels and methods to employ as well as which pricing strategies work best.
Making Decisions With Imperfect Information
Since the early days, Béa has operated with a small, yet focused team. “Having a really core, tight team for the first few months that was ruthlessly focused on design, user experience, and validation was a really good strategy,” says Tess.
When looking back at the company’s journey, Tess acknowledges that quicker decision-making would have been beneficial. “We often had a tendency to want to absorb the data and to sit on it. We were a little bit slow sometimes to really move on some of the key insights that we learned,” she shares. This was partly due to the team's initial lack of medical device expertise, leading them to rely on external consultants. “To have that expertise a little closer to the team, maybe even on the team, probably would have helped us move quicker,” Tess shares.
Another thing Tess reflects on is the timing of their engagement with the FDA, which resulted in unnecessary complications and delays. She thinks they should have approached the FDA with a clearer path in mind with specific questions, rather than seeking guidance on the path itself. Looking back, Tess shares that if she were to do it all again, she would have brought on a regulatory advisor as soon as possible. Having someone who’s familiar with regulations but also deeply familiar with your product is crucial to ensuring a smooth regulatory path.
Today, Béa still has a small, but better-rounded team. “We have one regulatory person and one quality assurance person. But we have a network of consultants who know us well, who we leverage when needed,“ Tess shares.
However, there’s a more nuanced lesson to learn here. As a CEO, your job is making swift decisions with imperfect information each and every day. Tess reflects, “Sometimes, I absolutely wish we trusted our intuition and moved quicker because as a team, our gut instinct is pretty good. And some instances, I have no regrets for taking the time we took, because we ended up getting to a better place.”
You can’t obsess over each decision — you are bound to make some incorrect choices. “The point of making decisions is to move forward, to course-correct, and to learn. And if you can do those three things over the long arc, you will get to where you want to go,” she says.
Fundraising Never Gets Easier
A venture capital-backed startup, Béa recently achieved a significant milestone by raising around $3 million.
Leading up to this point, the pre-seed round was a journey of persistence and resilience. Tess recalls, "It took me 284 conversations to raise that 475k." If you follow mainstream media outlets, you often hear about founders securing multiple term sheets in days. However, fundraising, especially in the pre-product stage for a consumer-facing medical device, is incredibly challenging.
As a first-time entrepreneur, Tess lacked both a network and experience in raising capital. Starting from scratch, her approach was as low-tech as it gets: a Google search on where to find angel investors in London.
Fundraising, Tess explains, is more than just securing capital, "90% of the time, you're presenting to investors that are forcing you to crystallize your vision, understand your target audience, and recognize the opportunity that lies ahead." It can be arduous, but fundraising is invaluable for shaping a compelling narrative and gaining a deeper understanding of the business.
For their seed round, Tess had to network extensively again because the contacts she made during the previous round weren’t in a position to invest. She found that fundraising doesn’t get easier with time. As the company progresses, you need to raise for a different stage. In Tess’s words, “The goalposts are moving as you do.”
Amid these challenges, Tess emphasizes the importance of being selective with investors, especially for a VC-backed company. "The biggest lesson between the pre-seed and seed rounds is the realization that where the money comes from matters. It's crucial to be discerning," she advises. You need partners who truly believe in your product and support the vision of the company.
Tess Cosad, a marketer turned entrepreneur, is the co-founder and CEO of Béa Fertility. Her venture into femtech didn’t stem from a background in science or clinical work, but from a drive to democratize fertility treatments.
"Thinking of all the babies we're going to make — I can't wait," Tess shares. Founded in 2020 in London, Béa brings clinic-level fertility treatment to homes.
Before Béa Fertility, Tess's career spanned various innovative roles. In 2014, she launched Emberson Ventures, a marketing agency focused on technology sectors. This was followed by Hers By Design in 2018, a female-led femtech brand. Her achievements also include leading a digital marketing-focused accelerator program in Saudi Arabia.
Witnessing friends endure strenuous fertility treatments ignited a desire to provide more fair and available options to everyone. "It's horrendous, and we've got to do better," she decided. "If you look at people going on a fertility journey, it’s really unfair what they have to go through to build their families."
Béa's device is a pivot to a tried-and-true clinical method, intracervical insemination (ICI). It’s a simple yet effective technique of artificial insemination: placing semen onto the cervix using a specially designed applicator. "It was wild to me that no one had revived this treatment, which could significantly ease the journey for families," Tess says.
A few fertility devices designed for home use have been developed in the past. Interestingly, one of them is no longer available on the market, while all the others revolve around intercourse. Meanwhile, Béa's philosophy was grounded in two principles: the elimination of the need for intercourse and user-friendly application at home.
The purpose of removing intercourse from the picture is to alleviate stress associated with conception for couples, and accommodate various paths to family building, such as those using donor sperm or facing physical limitations. The thoughtfully designed applicator facilitates the process, enabling the user to locate the cervix on their own — a step that’s not always straightforward. Béa's device ensures that the sperm bypasses the acidic vaginal canal and directly reaches the cervix.
Moreover, Béa is dedicated to deepening the understanding of fertility. The company has developed a comprehensive online fertility assessment, creating one of the UK's largest databases in this domain. This rich dataset is instrumental in understanding individual fertility stories, highlighting the access gap in fertility care and the efficacy of treatments, proving the viability of ICI, assessing the eligibility of Béa applicants, and enhancing user experience with each iteration of the Béa Applicator and Cap.
After its successful launch in the UK, Béa Fertility is now setting its sights on the US market. Classified as a Class II device under the 510(k) category, the team is working to meet FDA requirements, aiming for clearance by late 2024.
Key Learnings From Tess’s Experience
- Prioritize design, especially if you are targeting the consumer market. Be as simple as possible. Don't leave room for your audience to infer or make assumptions about your product. Position and frame it strategically to your target audience.
- Keeping your initial team lean and agile is a great advantage. However, it's crucial not to overlook instrumental roles. Missing key players in pivotal functions can lead to various delays across the entire business.
- Fundraising is a numbers game, and it doesn’t get easier as you progress to larger rounds. But repeating and refining your pitch countless times allows you to clarify your company’s mission and clearly communicate the opportunities ahead.
Tess Cosad is the co-founder and CEO of Béa Fertility, a startup specializing in at-home fertility treatments and ovulation tracking with the goal of providing an effective and affordable alternative to IVF. Prior to Béa, Tess founded Emberson Ventures, a B2B marketing agency, and Hers By Design, a femtech company. She was also the first woman to lead a digital marketing-focused accelerator program in Saudi Arabia.
Designing With the User in Mind
Innovation doesn’t necessarily mean creating new technology from scratch. For Béa, it meant reviving an old clinical method and making it accessible to consumers with a focus on improved design and user experience.
Tess reveals, “Our first hire was a UX researcher and designer. So right from day one, we prioritized user experience.” While there's a technological aspect to Béa's device, the focus isn’t solely on the engineering. "Once the mechanical aspects were set, our attention shifted to continually enhancing the user experience — a process that doesn't stop even after the design freeze and the start of manufacturing," Tess shares.
The journey of perfecting Béa's device involved extensive user research. In the earliest stages, Béa's UX researcher conducted human factor (HF) studies to assess how people interpreted instructions. This was just the beginning of a journey through 16 HF studies, involving 90 different print prototypes of the device. The goal was to achieve a design that was ergonomically easy to use, both individually and with a partner. Tess shares, “There isn't an iteration of the product that's been shipped out the door to a user that I haven't personally tested or where we haven't obsessed over the instructions for use first.”
When you're introducing a medical device, especially for at-home use, simplicity and intuitiveness are key. Tess explains, “There's a human on that side of the experience and they're treating themselves. So they're probably a little nervous. You need to make it as simple as possible for them to understand what it is that you're selling.”
Secondly, when you’re going straight to the consumer, you need to position your product in the market in a way that properly communicates its value. Figuring out where it fits in the market was a crucial part of Béa Fertility's strategy. Tess had two options: placing Béa alongside at-home insemination kits, or having it stand as an alternative to the traditional fertility clinics. This decision would not only define Béa's market segment; it would also establish how people would perceive and value Béa's offering. Tess opted for positioning the product as an alternative to the professional fertility clinics, because otherwise, they would have to compete against bottom-dollar syringes on Amazon, while Béa is deeply devoted to the user experience and customer support.
In summary, when developing a consumer-facing product, try to keep it simple. Don't leave room for your audience to infer or make assumptions. Show them exactly what your product is and what to compare it with. Ask yourself: what is the context you're framing your product within? Who are your competitors, and how do you stand apart? By clearly guiding your audience's understanding, you can shape all subsequent decisions — like what marketing channels and methods to employ as well as which pricing strategies work best.
Making Decisions With Imperfect Information
Since the early days, Béa has operated with a small, yet focused team. “Having a really core, tight team for the first few months that was ruthlessly focused on design, user experience, and validation was a really good strategy,” says Tess.
When looking back at the company’s journey, Tess acknowledges that quicker decision-making would have been beneficial. “We often had a tendency to want to absorb the data and to sit on it. We were a little bit slow sometimes to really move on some of the key insights that we learned,” she shares. This was partly due to the team's initial lack of medical device expertise, leading them to rely on external consultants. “To have that expertise a little closer to the team, maybe even on the team, probably would have helped us move quicker,” Tess shares.
Another thing Tess reflects on is the timing of their engagement with the FDA, which resulted in unnecessary complications and delays. She thinks they should have approached the FDA with a clearer path in mind with specific questions, rather than seeking guidance on the path itself. Looking back, Tess shares that if she were to do it all again, she would have brought on a regulatory advisor as soon as possible. Having someone who’s familiar with regulations but also deeply familiar with your product is crucial to ensuring a smooth regulatory path.
Today, Béa still has a small, but better-rounded team. “We have one regulatory person and one quality assurance person. But we have a network of consultants who know us well, who we leverage when needed,“ Tess shares.
However, there’s a more nuanced lesson to learn here. As a CEO, your job is making swift decisions with imperfect information each and every day. Tess reflects, “Sometimes, I absolutely wish we trusted our intuition and moved quicker because as a team, our gut instinct is pretty good. And some instances, I have no regrets for taking the time we took, because we ended up getting to a better place.”
You can’t obsess over each decision — you are bound to make some incorrect choices. “The point of making decisions is to move forward, to course-correct, and to learn. And if you can do those three things over the long arc, you will get to where you want to go,” she says.
Fundraising Never Gets Easier
A venture capital-backed startup, Béa recently achieved a significant milestone by raising around $3 million.
Leading up to this point, the pre-seed round was a journey of persistence and resilience. Tess recalls, "It took me 284 conversations to raise that 475k." If you follow mainstream media outlets, you often hear about founders securing multiple term sheets in days. However, fundraising, especially in the pre-product stage for a consumer-facing medical device, is incredibly challenging.
As a first-time entrepreneur, Tess lacked both a network and experience in raising capital. Starting from scratch, her approach was as low-tech as it gets: a Google search on where to find angel investors in London.
Fundraising, Tess explains, is more than just securing capital, "90% of the time, you're presenting to investors that are forcing you to crystallize your vision, understand your target audience, and recognize the opportunity that lies ahead." It can be arduous, but fundraising is invaluable for shaping a compelling narrative and gaining a deeper understanding of the business.
For their seed round, Tess had to network extensively again because the contacts she made during the previous round weren’t in a position to invest. She found that fundraising doesn’t get easier with time. As the company progresses, you need to raise for a different stage. In Tess’s words, “The goalposts are moving as you do.”
Amid these challenges, Tess emphasizes the importance of being selective with investors, especially for a VC-backed company. "The biggest lesson between the pre-seed and seed rounds is the realization that where the money comes from matters. It's crucial to be discerning," she advises. You need partners who truly believe in your product and support the vision of the company.
