BOSTON — Flourish Care, a maternal healthcare platform focused on expanding access to doula services, has raised $5.7 million in an oversubscribed seed financing round to support nationwide growth and broader integration of doula care into the healthcare system.
The round was led by Zeal Capital Partners, with participation from Create Health Ventures, Collide Capital, Rogue Women’s Fund, Symphonic Capital, Slater Technology Fund, Catalytic Impact Foundation, Capita3, and other investors. The company said the funding will accelerate expansion of its hybrid in-person and virtual doula support model as insurance coverage for such services expands across the U.S.
Flourish Care said it is responding to growing demand driven by policy changes, with 46 states either reimbursing or implementing reimbursement pathways for doula care. The company’s platform is now accessible to more than 20 million covered lives through commercial health plans and Medicaid, as it works to embed credentialed, community-based doulas into standard maternity care.
“When I was pregnant with my first child, I saw how much of maternal care happens between clinical visits and how unsupported women feel in those gaps. Now, with almost every state enacting reimbursement pathways for doula care, we have built the infrastructure to make sure every family can access that support,” said Melissa Bowley, founder and CEO of Flourish Care. “Maternal healthcare significantly improves when a doula is involved, yet they have been out of reach for too many families. That ends now as we expand nationwide.”
Founded in 2020, Flourish Care has built one of the largest doula networks in the country and has supported thousands of families. Its platform connects patients with doulas, enables both virtual and in-person care, and facilitates referrals, care coordination, and insurance reimbursement. The company said its model integrates with existing workflows across health plans, hospitals, obstetrics practices, federally qualified health centers, and community organizations to improve outcomes and reduce unnecessary interventions.
The company is also developing an AI-driven risk prediction engine using clinical and community-reported data to help healthcare providers identify patients who may benefit from additional support earlier in pregnancy.
“The policy and payer landscape has finally caught up to what families have always needed. Flourish Care is building the scalable model that will fundamentally integrate doula care into clinical workflows, insurance networks, and women’s lives,” said Nasir Qadree, founder and managing partner of Zeal Capital Partners. “We’re proud to partner with Melissa and her team as they bring equitable, high-quality doula care into the mainstream.”
The announcement comes as maternal health challenges in the U.S. remain significant, with complications related to pregnancy and childbirth estimated to cost $32.3 billion from pregnancy through a child’s fifth birthday. Research cited by the company shows that doula-supported care can reduce cesarean deliveries, preterm births, and neonatal intensive care unit admissions, generating cost savings and improving outcomes.
“For Medicaid members, doula care has been associated with a 47% lower risk of cesarean delivery; a 29% lower risk of preterm birth; and a 50% reduction in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) admissions compared with members without doula support,” the company said.
“When doulas are integrated into systems and covered by insurance, families, providers, and health plans benefit from vastly better outcomes and experiences. The largest national payers are partnering with Flourish Care, and women’s health organizations are choosing it as their doula network because the model is rigorously tested and clinically proven to be effective,” said Emma Cartmell, managing partner of Create Health Ventures. “Mothers can trust they are working with credentialed, high-quality doulas, and the demand for Flourish Care in the market reflects it.”
Flourish Care said its leadership team brings experience across medical devices, digital health, and women’s health innovation, with board members including Bari Harlam, formerly of CVS Health, and Emma Cartmell.
