Atlanta-based health tech startup Aster, co-founded by sisters Fifi Kara and Dr. Lailah Kara-Newton, has raised $2.4 million in a pre-seed round to revolutionize prenatal and postnatal care nationwide. Launched in 2023 after Dr. Kara-Newton's personal experience with undiagnosed preeclampsia, Aster focuses on providing safe and straightforward maternal health care through clear communication, easy access, and trusted clinical guidance.

Partnering with clinics across several states, Aster's platform emphasizes regular monitoring, collecting vital health metrics like blood pressure, heart rate, blood glucose, and urinalysis testing. The recent funding, led by Cake Ventures with participation from Zeal Capital Partners, Cornerstone, Octopus Ventures, Blueprint, Everywhere Ventures, and angel investors, allows Aster to expand its operations, recruit key roles, and offer nationwide availability.

Monique Woodard, founder of Cake Ventures, highlights Aster's commitment to serving smaller, independent clinics, emphasizing long-term impact on maternal and prenatal health care nationwide. Initially focused on midwifery-led care, birth centers, and nurse practitioner-led care, Aster plans to include OB/GYN providers in its network, aiming to collaborate with over 100 providers and serve approximately 20,000 patients by the end of 2024.

The app, designed for all women, offers communication tools and transcription services for inclusive and collaborative patient-physician interactions. With cutting-edge technology for clinical administration and practice capabilities, Aster supports providers and patients in remote areas through telehealth and virtual communication. The startup is onboarding clinics in Alaska, Alabama, and Ohio for its upcoming beta program.

Fifi Kara emphasizes the app's potential to provide consistent and comprehensive care management, addressing the $54 billion annual cost of avoidable pregnancy complications in the U.S. Inspired by a personal experience, she states, "Our company was founded because of a personal experience. My sister and nephew had an incredibly scary birth, and we were all deeply inspired to change what could and should have been prevented for future mothers."

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Originally reported on Yahoo Finance