The BUZZ in the fertility world today isn’t about acupuncture or some new-old ancient technique.
It’s all about GLOW today, the fertility app that Bay area based and PayPal co-founder Max Levchin has created (and has sunk $1million of his own dollars into, by the way). Glow is a free-to-download, iPhone-only app that helps women — and their partners — track ovulation cycles and other data points to predict peak fertility windows. It officially launches in the App Store today. 
In addition, the Bay Area-based startup has raised $6 million in venture capital funding from Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund, Jeff Jordan of Andreessen Horowitz and individual investors including Yuri Milner.
Glow goes beyond tracking ovulation cycles, sexual activity and, yes, the texture of cervical mucus, which I can’t wait to find out more on this one. And in true Bay area style, Levchin and Glow co-founder Mike Huang have built the company with the intent to disrupt the current health-care system in the U.S., by creating a kind of insurance fund to help pay for women’s fertility treatments.
Here’s the thing that I love the most, app users have the option to contribute $50 a month to the Glow Fund, for a period of 10 months. If, after 10 months of using the Glow app, a woman hasn’t conceived, she can withdraw money from the Glow Fund and use it to pay for fertility treatments. Conversely, if she has gotten pregnant, she forfeits her contributions; they will go toward another user’s fertility treatments. Genius and generous!
Christina “Mei Wen” Martin, L.Ac., Dipl.AC, MTOM, FABORM.
christina@berkeley-acupuncture.com
Christina Martin is the founder of Tao to Wellness. She is an Acupuncturist, Chinese Herbalist and Teacher and has been in practice for fifteen years. She holds a Master’s Degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine and is California state licensed and a nationally certified Diplomat of Acupuncture. Christina entered Acupuncture school without ever having an Acupuncture treatment. She simply felt it was her calling.
Reference:
http://pulse2.com/2013/08/08/max-levchins-glow-fertility-app-raises-6-million-in-funding-91336/
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