Matresa has raised £315,000 in pre-seed funding for a preventative maternal health platform offering continuous support from pregnancy through early parenthood.
Founded by former paediatric intensive care nurse Mari-Carmen Sanchez-Morris, the London-based startup is building a clinical-grade screening and diagnostics platform intended to shift maternal care from reactive to preventative.
It will offer personalised support for mothers and partners during maternity leave, while giving employers visibility into a period that is often unmanaged.
Mari-Carmen Sanchez-Morris, founder of Matresa, said: “Poor maternal healthcare isn’t just happening in a vacuum: it affects other areas of healthcare, and stunts women’s career growth, which in turn impacts businesses and the wider economy.
“Tailored care isn’t a privilege, it’s a right.”
The company says one in three mothers leave the workforce within a year of childbirth, costing employers an estimated £30,000 to £150,000 per replacement.
It also cites estimates that preventable maternal health issues cost the UK economy £13bn to £15bn a year.
The round was led by SFC Capital.
Edward Stevenson, fund principal at SFC Capital, said the investment was driven by “the talent and strength of Mari-Carmen and the growing problem that the company is solving,” adding that she “demonstrated tenacity and determination” and is “100 per cent committed to improving maternal health for women everywhere.”
The platform is due to launch this summer and will follow what the company describes as a dyadic mother-baby approach aligned with clinical pathways, using continuous maternal data to enable earlier intervention.
