The funding follows Bird&Be’s expansion into Ulta Beauty last year, when the company began introducing its fertility supplements to mainstream beauty retail in an effort to reach consumers earlier in their reproductive health journeys.
As previously reported by NutraIngredients, the initial rollout targeted more than 300 Ulta Beauty locations, with an emphasis on improving access to fertility products and education in areas underserved by specialist healthcare providers.
Bird&Be has since expanded to nearly 1,000 Ulta Beauty stores, while its clinician-referral business has grown 200% year over year.
“Demand is shifting toward proactive care; people want to understand their reproductive health earlier, and they want products they can trust to support it,” Samantha Diamond, co-founder and CEO of Bird&Be, told NutraIngredients.
Male fertility gains traction
Male fertility has been a particularly strong area of demand for Bird&Be, which has positioned its products for both partners rather than focusing exclusively on women preparing for pregnancy.
Male factors contribute to up to 50% of infertility cases, but much of the responsibility for fertility preparation has historically fallen on women, Diamond explained.
The company sells male prenatal supplements and an at-home Sperm Test Kit alongside its female-focused products, and placed male and female fertility supplements side by side when it entered Ulta Beauty.
Diamond said the male products subsequently became bestsellers, reinforcing the company’s decision to bring men into the fertility conversation.
“The response — which was the male SKUs becoming a bestseller — has shown us that couples want to approach fertility together; they just haven’t had the resources to do so until they met Bird&Be,” she said.
The company’s growth has also been driven by consumers seeking fertility information and nutritional support before they encounter difficulties conceiving.
Diamond and her co-founders started Bird&Be after struggling to find the resources they needed during their own fertility experiences. She noted that many people spend years trying to conceive before seeking specialist care, often wishing they had received guidance sooner.
Investing in research and quality
Part of the new funding will go toward additional clinical studies, with Bird&Be currently investigating the effects of other formulations in its portfolio.
The company previously conducted a study of its Male Prenatals that reported a 52.2% improvement in progressive sperm motility following 90 days of supplementation.
Diamond also pointed to concerns over the quality of prenatal supplements, citing a recent Consumer Reports investigation that found 15 of 17 products tested contained nutrient levels that differed from their label claims.
Bird&Be was one of two brands whose tested formulas matched their labels across every nutrient assessed, according to Diamond.
“The category for fertility supplements needs a higher standard,” she said.
The company reported that its supplements undergo third-party testing and five rounds of testing during manufacturing. Its products also carry Clean Label Project certification.
Diamond identified PMOS as another area where women face significant gaps in diagnosis and support, with an estimated 70% of affected women remaining undiagnosed.
Building clinical distribution
Alongside its retail growth, Bird&Be has continued to expand its relationships with healthcare practitioners.
The company reported that its clinician-referral business grew 200% year over year, with more than 10% of customers now coming through healthcare provider recommendations.
Its formulations were developed with input from OB-GYNs, reproductive endocrinologists and naturopathic fertility specialists, and the company said hundreds of practitioners now support its products in their clinics.
Bird&Be has also partnered with Mandell’s Clinical Pharmacy to reach patients undergoing fertility treatment across all 50 states.
“Clinicians need to know that what’s on the label is what’s in the bottle,” Diamond said, emphasizing the importance of formulation quality and transparency in earning practitioner trust.
Over the next 12 to 24 months, Bird&Be plans to use its new funding to expand clinical research, develop additional products and build on its retail and professional distribution.
Diamond emphasized that nutritional supplementation should remain complementary to medical care, particularly as the category expands into products positioned around egg quality, sperm health and hormonal health.
“Supplements play a supporting role in a healthy journey,” she said.
“They can provide the nutritional and cellular health support people need through conception, pregnancy, and postpartum recovery, and they work best alongside medical care and a good diet, never instead of them.”
