Mae

Cover Block

PUBLIC

Name	Mae
Tagline	Digital health platform connecting Black expectant mothers with doulas and maternal tools
Headquarters	New York City, United States
Founded	2020
Stage	Seed
Business Model	Marketplace
Industry	Healthtech
Technology	Software (Non-AI)
Geography	North America
Growth Profile	Venture Scale
Founding Team	Solo Founder
Funding Label	Seed (total disclosed ~$1,300,000)

Links

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• Website: https://meetmae.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayahardigan/

This section contains the confirmed public-facing digital properties for Mae. The company maintains a primary website and the founder's LinkedIn profile serves as the primary professional presence. No official company LinkedIn page, X/Twitter profile, GitHub repository, or app store listings are confirmed in the available sources.

Executive Summary

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Mae is a digital health platform building a culturally competent marketplace to connect Black expectant mothers with doulas and clinical support, a venture-scale bet on addressing the stark maternal health disparities that persist as a systemic failure in U.S. healthcare [BusinessWire, Sep 2021]. Founded in 2020 by solo founder Maya Hardigan, the company has secured backing from a consortium of specialized health and impact investors, closing an oversubscribed seed round in May 2024 led by Jumpstart Nova [BusinessWire, May 2024]. The model combines a digital engagement and risk-tracking platform with access to community-based doula support, offering free tools like birthing plans and introductory consultations as an on-ramp [Avestria Ventures, May 2024].

Hardigan brings a 15-year product innovation track record from Pfizer, where she served as Director of Clinical Innovation, a background that informs the platform's design for integration with payer and state healthcare systems [Leerink Partners]. The business model is structured as a value-based, supplemental care service targeting contracts with Medicaid managed care organizations and other payers, rather than direct-to-consumer subscriptions. Over the next 12-18 months, the critical watchpoints are the transition from pilot partnerships to named, scaled customer deployments, and the publication of any early clinical or economic outcome data to validate the platform's impact on reducing preterm births and C-sections.

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Core company facts and funding rounds are confirmed by press releases; product details and founder background are sourced from investor and podcast content.

Taxonomy Snapshot

Axis	Classification
Stage	Seed
Business Model	Marketplace
Industry / Vertical	Healthtech
Technology Type	Software (Non-AI)
Geography	North America
Growth Profile	Venture Scale
Founding Team	Solo Founder
Funding	Seed (total disclosed ~$1,300,000)

Company Overview

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Mae is a New York City-based digital health platform founded in 2020 by solo founder Maya Hardigan, who launched the company with a focus on addressing maternal health disparities for Black expectant mothers [Crunchbase, retrieved 2026]. The founding story centers on applying Hardigan’s decade-plus of corporate digital health innovation to a specific, high-morbidity population, a pivot from her prior role establishing clinical trial platforms at Pfizer to a direct-to-consumer and payer-facing marketplace model [Leerink Partners, ~2024]. The company’s first public milestone was a $1.3 million pre-seed round in September 2021, led by SteelSky Ventures, which funded the initial platform launch [BusinessWire, Sep 2021].

A subsequent, oversubscribed seed round closed in May 2024, led by Jumpstart Nova, with the capital intended to scale the company’s technology and services [BusinessWire, May 2024]. The company’s public narrative since its seed close has been quiet, with no tier-one media coverage or new customer announcements beyond a single, later-reported partnership. That partnership, with insurer EmblemHealth, was announced in February 2026 to expand digital pregnancy support and doula access for Medicaid members, representing the most recent confirmed business development [GlobeNewswire/EmblemHealth, Feb 2026].

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Key founding and funding dates confirmed by press releases; partnership and founder background corroborated by multiple sources but some dates are approximate.

Product and Technology

MIXED

Mae's product is a hybrid digital health platform, a marketplace designed to connect expectant mothers with doulas and provide digital tools for pregnancy and postpartum support. The core offering is a digital engagement and risk-tracking platform that pairs users with community-based doula support, according to the company's press release [BusinessWire, May 2024]. The initial focus is on Black expectant mothers, with the platform aiming to address documented disparities in maternal health outcomes.

The publicly described user-facing features include a free birthing plan tool and access to 15-minute doula consultations [Avestria Ventures, May 2024]. The company's stated wedge is to operate as a value-based, supplemental care layer, working with healthcare payers and states to underwrite services for underserved populations [BusinessWire, Sep 2021]. A partnership with EmblemHealth, announced in early 2026, aims to expand access to this digital health support and community-based doulas for Medicaid members [GlobeNewswire/EmblemHealth, Feb 2026].

Two open roles, for a Product Manager and a Member Engagement Specialist, suggest ongoing development of the core platform and user experience [PUBLIC] [SmartRecruiters, retrieved 2024] [SmartRecruiters, retrieved 2026]. The technology stack is not detailed in public materials, but the remote nature of the roles and the product's description as a digital marketplace imply a standard web and mobile software architecture (inferred from job postings). No public roadmap or specific feature timelines have been announced.

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Product claims are sourced from press releases and investor blogs; the EmblemHealth partnership is a recent, specific development. Core feature details lack independent verification.

Market Research

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The market for solutions targeting maternal health disparities is gaining investor and policy attention not because the problem is new, but because the scale of the crisis has finally begun to translate into specific, funded initiatives. Mae operates at the intersection of several converging trends: a heightened focus on racial health equity, a push toward value-based care models, and the expansion of Medicaid coverage for non-clinical support services like doula care.

Quantifying the total addressable market for a culturally-specific digital health platform is inherently challenging, as public reports typically segment by broader categories like "femtech" or "maternal health apps." For context, the global digital health market was valued at over $200 billion in 2023, with women's health representing a significant and growing segment [Grand View Research, 2023]. The more relevant SAM is the U.S. market for services aimed at reducing maternal morbidity and mortality, particularly among Medicaid populations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white women, a disparity that drives both human and economic cost [CDC, 2023]. While Mae does not disclose its own TAM calculations, the company's focus on Medicaid-aligned, value-based supplemental care suggests it is targeting a slice of the over $100 billion in annual U.S. Medicaid spending on pregnant women and infants (estimated).

Demand is propelled by several structural tailwinds. First, policy shifts are expanding reimbursement pathways. A growing number of states have approved Medicaid coverage for doula services, creating a payer-funded channel for community-based support that platforms like Mae can facilitate [KFF, 2024]. Second, large payers and employers are increasingly mandating health equity initiatives and reporting, creating a budget line for vendors that can demonstrate outcomes in underserved populations. Third, the consumerization of healthcare and the rise of digital-first engagement models have lowered barriers for expectant mothers to seek supplemental support outside traditional clinical settings.

Key adjacent markets include general pregnancy wellness apps, telehealth platforms offering obstetric consults, and traditional case management services provided by health plans. Mae's positioning as a hybrid marketplace specifically for Black mothers and its integration of doula support distinguishes it from these broader substitutes. The regulatory environment is a double-edged force; while state Medicaid reforms open doors, navigating 50 different state reimbursement policies and contracting with managed care organizations represents a significant operational hurdle for a seed-stage company.

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Market sizing figures are drawn from analogous, broad industry reports. Tailwinds like state Medicaid policies are corroborated by public health research, but specific linkage to Mae's business model is inferred.

Competitive Landscape

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Mae enters a fragmented maternal health support market defined by a stark gap between broad telehealth platforms and localized, often underfunded, community-based organizations. The company's positioning hinges on a hybrid model that combines a digital marketplace with culturally competent doula support, targeting a specific demographic through payer partnerships.

Given the absence of named, direct competitors in the structured research, a formal comparison table cannot be constructed. The competitive analysis must proceed through a mapping of the broader landscape.

Three distinct competitive segments surround Mae's model. First, generalist digital health platforms like Teladoc and Amwell offer broad telehealth that includes obstetric consultations, but these services are not tailored to the cultural or community-specific needs central to Mae's value proposition [Leerink Partners, ~2024]. Second, direct-to-consumer femtech apps such as Ovia Health and What to Expect provide educational content and tracking tools, but they operate as informational resources rather than care coordination marketplaces connecting users to live doula support. Third, and most directly adjacent, are local doula collectives and community health organizations. These entities provide the in-person, trusted advocate role that Mae seeks to digitize and scale, but they typically lack the technology infrastructure and payer contract sophistication to reach populations at the state or national insurer level.

Mae's defensible edge today appears to rest on two integrated components: its founder's deep network in clinical innovation and payer relations, and its early focus on structuring a value-based care model for Medicaid populations. Maya Hardigan's 15-year background at Pfizer, specifically in digital clinical trials and mobile health platforms, provides a rare blend of clinical, regulatory, and large-corporate partnership experience [FundRx | Medium, retrieved 2026] [Leerink Partners, ~2024]. This background is a perishable advantage if not converted into signed contracts; it is a talent and credibility edge that facilitates initial conversations with payers like EmblemHealth, but durability depends on translating those conversations into deployed, reimbursed programs [GlobeNewswire/EmblemHealth, Feb 2026]. The second edge is the intentional design for Medicaid reimbursement, a complex, low-margin segment that many venture-backed digital health companies avoid. Building the operational and compliance workflows for this channel from the outset creates early-mover friction for later entrants.

The company's most significant exposure lies in execution risk against well-capitalized platforms that could decide to build or buy a similar offering. A large incumbent like UnitedHealth Group's Optum or a scaled women's health platform like Maven Clinic possesses the capital, existing member base, and provider networks to rapidly launch a competing doula-matching service, potentially undercutting Mae on price or access. Furthermore, Mae does not own the doula supply channel; its marketplace model depends on the availability and loyalty of independent practitioners, which could be aggregated by another platform. The lack of disclosed customer or deployment metrics since its 2024 seed round amplifies this exposure, leaving the durability of its early lead unproven in the public record [BusinessWire, May 2024].

A plausible 18-month scenario centers on the race to secure foundational payer contracts. In this scenario, the "winner" is the first company to demonstrate statistically significant reductions in preterm births and C-section rates within a Medicaid population, thereby creating a reproducible clinical and economic case for value-based contracts. If Mae can use its partnership with EmblemHealth to generate that published data, it could solidify its position as the specialist of choice for payers targeting health equity metrics [GlobeNewswire/EmblemHealth, Feb 2026]. Conversely, the "loser" in this scenario would be any player that remains in a pure direct-to-consumer or fee-for-service model, unable to prove ROI at the payer level and thus limited to a smaller, often wealthier, addressable market. The competitive threat is less about a head-to-head feature war and more about which business model proves financially sustainable for serving the highest-risk populations.

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Competitive mapping is inferred from market structure; no direct competitors are named in captured sources. Founder's background is corroborated by multiple sources.

Opportunity

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The opportunity for Mae is to become the default, payer-funded digital health platform for culturally competent maternal care, capturing a significant share of the billions in annual costs associated with adverse outcomes in underserved populations.

The headline opportunity is to establish the first scaled, value-based care network specifically for Medicaid and commercial payers seeking to reduce maternal morbidity costs. The evidence that this outcome is reachable, not merely aspirational, lies in the company's early positioning and investor backing. Mae's model is built as a supplemental benefit from the outset, targeting payers and states to underwrite access [BusinessWire, Sep 2021]. This aligns directly with a growing payer imperative: the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has made reducing maternal mortality and morbidity a priority, with states increasingly authorized to cover doula services through Medicaid [Avestria Ventures, May 2024]. The oversubscribed seed round from a consortium of impact and healthcare-focused funds, including Jumpstart Nova and Avestria Ventures, signals investor belief in this payer-centric distribution path [BusinessWire, May 2024]. The outcome is a platform that could define the category of contracted, outcomes-based maternal support.

Growth would likely follow one of several concrete paths, each hinging on a specific catalyst.

Scenario	What happens	Catalyst	Why it's plausible
Medicaid Mandate Capture	Mae becomes a contracted vendor for multiple state Medicaid programs, scaling to hundreds of thousands of members.	A major state (e.g., California, New York) signs a multi-year, population-level contract following a successful pilot.	The business model is explicitly designed for this channel, and early rhetoric focuses on payers and states [BusinessWire, Sep 2021]. Investor Rhia Ventures focuses on reproductive health equity, suggesting network access to such buyers.
Commercial Payer Wedge	The platform is adopted by national commercial insurers as a value-added service to reduce employer healthcare costs and improve DEI metrics.	A top-5 national health plan (e.g., UnitedHealthcare, Aetna) pilots Mae for its self-insured employer clients.	Founder Maya Hardigan's 15-year background includes enterprise-level digital health innovation at Pfizer, providing relevant experience for navigating large payer organizations [Leerink Partners].
Doula Network Monopoly	Mae's marketplace becomes the dominant credentialing and matching platform for doulas in the U.S., creating a two-sided network.	The company achieves exclusive partnerships with major doula certification bodies, creating a de facto standard for payer reimbursement.	The platform's initial wedge includes connecting users with doulas and tools, establishing early supply-side relationships [BusinessWire, May 2024].

What compounding looks like is a classic two-sided network effect layered with a data moat. Each new state Medicaid contract delivers a concentrated cohort of members, attracting more doulas and maternal health specialists to the platform. As provider density increases, match quality and user satisfaction improve, strengthening the value proposition for the next payer. Concurrently, the aggregated, de-identified outcome data,tracking reductions in preterm births or C-sections,becomes a proprietary asset. This data not only refines the platform's risk algorithms but also serves as compelling, evidence-based justification for value-based contracts at higher reimbursement rates. The flywheel is implied in the model but not yet evidenced by public traction metrics.

The size of the win can be framed by a comparable scenario. Maven Clinic, a digital health platform for family and women's health, reached a $1 billion+ valuation following its Series D in 2021 [Crunchbase]. Maven's model also integrates clinical care with a provider network and targets employers and payers. If Mae successfully executes the Medicaid Mandate Capture scenario, it could aim for a similar infrastructure-level position within the publicly-funded care segment. A conservative scenario might see the company valued as a key vendor within a multi-billion dollar maternal health spend. For context, Medicaid finances about 42% of all births in the United States, representing massive, if price-sensitive, contract potential (scenario, not a forecast).

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Opportunity analysis is based on stated business model and investor composition; growth scenarios are plausible projections but lack confirming contract announcements.

Sources

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1. [BusinessWire, Sep 2021] Maternal Health Platform Mae Launches with $1.3M | https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210908005314/en/Maternal-Health-Platform-Mae-Launches-with-$1.3M

2. [BusinessWire, May 2024] Minority Health Focused Startup Mae Closes Oversubscribed Seed Funding Round | https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240507745562/en/Minority-Health-Focused-Startup-Mae-Closes-Oversubscribed-Seed-Funding-Round-to-Reduce-Maternal-Health-Disparities

3. [Avestria Ventures, May 2024] Meet Mae | https://www.avestria.vc/meet-mae

4. [Leerink Partners, ~2024] Mae Founder & CEO Maya Hardigan | https://leerink.com/podcast/mae-founder-ceo-maya-hardigan/

5. [Crunchbase, retrieved 2026] Mae Health - Crunchbase Company Profile & Funding | https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mae-214d

6. [GlobeNewswire/EmblemHealth, Feb 2026] EmblemHealth Partners with Mae to Expand Access to Pregnancy and Postpartum Digital Health Support | https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/02/19/2881236/0/en/EmblemHealth-Partners-with-Mae-to-Expand-Access-to-Pregnancy-and-Postpartum-Digital-Health-Support.html

7. [SmartRecruiters, retrieved 2024] Product Manager - Mae Health Inc. | https://jobs.smartrecruiters.com/MaeHealthInc/744000090870362-product-manager

8. [SmartRecruiters, retrieved 2026] Member Engagement Specialist - Mae Health Inc. | https://jobs.smartrecruiters.com/MaeHealthInc/744000096662190-member-engagement-specialist

9. [FundRx | Medium, retrieved 2026] Venture Partner Perspectives: Maya Hardigan (Director of Clinical Innovation at Pfizer) | https://medium.com/@fund_rx/venture-partner-perspectives-maya-hardigan-director-of-clinical-innovation-at-pfizer-fbb995a74ab0

10. [Grand View Research, 2023] Digital Health Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report | https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/digital-health-market

11. [CDC, 2023] Working Together to Reduce Black Maternal Mortality | https://www.cdc.gov/healthequity/features/maternal-mortality/index.html

12. [KFF, 2024] State Medicaid Coverage of Doulas | https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/issue-brief/state-medicaid-coverage-of-doulas/