Mae

Cover Block

Metric	Value
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

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

Executive Summary

Mae is a digital health platform building a culturally competent marketplace to connect Black expectant mothers with doulas and clinical support [BusinessWire, Sep 2021]. Founded in 2020 by solo founder Maya Hardigan, the company closed 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 [Avestria Ventures, May 2024].

Hardigan brings a 15-year product innovation track record from Pfizer, where she served as Director of Clinical Innovation [Leerink Partners]. The business model is structured as a value-based, supplemental care service targeting contracts with Medicaid managed care organizations and other payers. Over the next 12-18 months, the critical watchpoints are the transition from pilot partnerships to named, scaled customer deployments and the publication of clinical or economic outcome data.

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)

How the Company Got Here

Mae is a New York City-based digital health platform founded in 2020 by solo founder Maya Hardigan to address maternal health disparities for Black expectant mothers [Crunchbase, retrieved 2026]. Hardigan pivoted from her 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 [BusinessWire, Sep 2021].

A subsequent, oversubscribed seed round closed in May 2024, led by Jumpstart Nova [BusinessWire, May 2024]. A partnership with insurer EmblemHealth was announced in February 2026 to expand digital pregnancy support and doula access for Medicaid members [GlobeNewswire/EmblemHealth, Feb 2026].

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

Product and Technology

Mae's product is a hybrid digital health platform designed to connect expectant mothers with doulas and provide digital tools for pregnancy and postpartum support [BusinessWire, May 2024]. Publicly described features include a free birthing plan tool and access to 15-minute doula consultations [Avestria Ventures, May 2024]. The company operates as a value-based, supplemental care layer, working with healthcare payers and states to underwrite services [BusinessWire, Sep 2021].

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

Where the Demand Sits

Mae operates at the intersection of racial health equity, value-based care, and the expansion of Medicaid coverage for non-clinical support services like doula care. The CDC reports that Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white women [CDC, 2023]. Mae's focus on Medicaid-aligned, value-based supplemental care targets a slice of the over $100 billion in annual U.S. Medicaid spending on pregnant women and infants.

Demand is propelled by policy shifts expanding Medicaid coverage for doula services [KFF, 2024] and payer mandates for health equity initiatives. Navigating 50 different state reimbursement policies and contracting with managed care organizations represents a significant operational hurdle.

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Market sizing figures are drawn from analogous, broad industry reports. Tailwinds like state Medicaid policies are corroborated by public health research.

Competitive Landscape

Mae enters a fragmented maternal health support market. Three distinct competitive segments surround the model: generalist digital health platforms like Teladoc and Amwell, direct-to-consumer femtech apps like Ovia Health, and local doula collectives.

Mae's defensible edge rests on its founder's network in clinical innovation and its focus on structuring a value-based care model for Medicaid populations. Maya Hardigan's 15-year background at Pfizer provides a rare blend of clinical, regulatory, and large-corporate partnership experience [FundRx | Medium, retrieved 2026]. The company's most significant exposure lies in execution risk against well-capitalized platforms that could build or buy a similar offering, such as UnitedHealth Group's Optum or Maven Clinic.

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Competitive mapping is inferred from market structure; no direct competitors are named in captured sources.

Opportunity

Mae's opportunity is to become the default, payer-funded digital health platform for culturally competent maternal care. The company's model is built as a supplemental benefit, targeting payers and states to underwrite access [BusinessWire, Sep 2021]. The oversubscribed seed round from a consortium of impact and healthcare-focused funds signals investor belief in this payer-centric distribution path [BusinessWire, May 2024].

Scenario	What happens	Catalyst	Why it's plausible
Medicaid Mandate Capture	Mae becomes a contracted vendor for multiple state Medicaid programs.	A major state signs a multi-year, population-level contract.	The business model is explicitly designed for this channel [BusinessWire, Sep 2021].
Commercial Payer Wedge	The platform is adopted by national commercial insurers.	A top-5 national health plan pilots Mae for employer clients.	Founder Maya Hardigan's background includes enterprise-level digital health innovation at Pfizer [Leerink Partners].
Doula Network Monopoly	Mae's marketplace becomes the dominant credentialing platform for doulas.	The company achieves exclusive partnerships with major doula certification bodies.	The platform's initial wedge includes connecting users with doulas [BusinessWire, May 2024].

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

Sources

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 | 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 | 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/