News

Ovasave Empowers Women To Tackle Difficult Fertility Choices

The UAE-based startup helps women to test their fertility at home and connects them to a network of clinics offering egg-freezing procedures.

Published

1 year ago

August 28, 2023

Nour Nasir

Ovasave

Abu Dhabi-based Ovasave is on a mission to empower women to take control of their fertility. Founded by Torkia Mahloul and Majd Abu Zant, the startup seeks to ease the complexity of freezing eggs while encouraging women to start testing their ovarian reserves at thirty years of age to improve their chances of becoming pregnant in the future.

Ovasave’s digitized process is centered around a $100 FDA-approved self-administered home hormone test, followed by a remote consultation by a doctor from a vetted fertility clinic network. Depending on the results and the consultation outcome, patients can opt for an egg-freezing package from one of the clinics in the network.

ovasave home testing kit

“Access to fertility services is a major issue. Women are delaying having children, so their fertility is declining, but they are not acting on it because of a lack of awareness […] and because the fertility journey is fragmented and complex,” Ms Mahloul says.

Recent changes to reproductive health laws in the United Arab Emirates now allow single and married women to preserve eggs for both social and medical reasons (including pursuing education or career advancement or undergoing cancer treatments).

According to co-founder Abu Zant, freezing eggs costs around Dh25,000 per cycle, with storage averaging another Dh1,500 per year. In the UAE, frozen eggs can be legally stored for five years, with an option to extend by an additional five years.

Also Read: LVL Wellbeing Receives $10 Million Investment To Scale Operations

Ovasave is partnering with eight UAE fertility clinics and twenty IVF specialists. Users will be able to rate doctors so that other women can compare the reviews when they book a consultation.

So far, the co-founders have invested $400,000 into the startup and are seeking to raise up to $2 million over the coming six months. The funds will be used for technical development, recruitment, and general market growth.

News

Popcorn AI Raises $500,000 For “Conversational eCommerce”

The firm’s AI platform uses specialized chatbots to handle entire eCommerce journeys, from recommending products to seamless payments.

Published

6 days ago

November 14, 2024

Nour Nasir

Popcorn AI

Dubai-based Popcorn AI has announced the closure of a pre-seed funding round that raised $500,000 for its revolutionary AI platform. The investment, led by Spring Studios with the backing of Salica Investments, Al Waha Fund of Funds, and prominent angel investors from Saudi Arabia, represents a key step forward in reshaping customer-business interactions using the power of conversational AI.

Unlike traditional chatbot systems, Popcorn AI’s platform is designed to redefine eCommerce by creating highly intelligent sales agents that handle entire customer journeys, from personalized product recommendations right through to seamless payment acceptance — all through a conversational experience.

The clever idea was recently tested to great success when one of Popcorn AI’s chatbot agents closed a $400,000 real estate transaction, handling everything from the first inquiry to the final sale. Early adopters have reported a massive 90% reduction in customer acquisition costs, along with a highly impressive 20% improvement in conversion rates, highlighting the platform’s potential to transform customer engagement across dozens of industries.

Josh Rodger, Principal at the Spring Studios fund, expressed enthusiasm for the project, saying, “We are proud to support Popcorn AI’s mission to reshape how businesses connect with their customers. Their innovative approach to conversational commerce has the potential to revolutionize industries and redefine the way customers experience digital transactions”.

Also Read: Top Free AI Chatbots Available In The Middle East

Meanwhile, Popcorn AI founder and CEO Yousef Al Arif declared: “The future of commerce is conversational,” adding, “Today’s consumers want shopping experiences that are instant, personalized, and effortless. We’re not building just another chatbot; we’re crafting intelligent commerce agents that understand context, recall customer preferences, and guide users through the entire shopping process, much like an expert salesperson would”.

Building upon a decade of experience scaling eCommerce and marketplace platforms across the MENA region, Al Arif has now achieved huge success with Popcorn AI, positioning the product at the cutting edge of AI-powered eCommerce. The platform has also made significant impacts in sectors such as real estate, and hospitality, signaling that conversational commerce is emerging as a powerful new model for digital businesses.