Fertility app Natural Cycles raises $6M for expansion plans and new clinical studies

Launched in 2014 and headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, Natural Cycles has been shown in clinical studies to be as effective as the contraceptive pill at preventing pregnancies.

Natural Cycles has over 100,000 active users in 161 countries and reported revenues of $2M in 2015, its first full year of trading.

The new capital will be used to build the team, which currently consists of 12 people, expand internationally with focus on the U.S. as well as pursue a set of clinical studies within the field of contraception and fertility.

“We have been able to demonstrate the past two years that our app is something that women want and need. Natural Cycles is a healthy business – women pay for the app, they use it practically every day and most importantly, they love it. It is truly an honour to have been able to improve so many women’s lives,” says Elina Berglund, CTO & co-founder of Natural Cycles, who started the company together with her husband after being part of the team of researchers that discovered the Higgs boson at CERN.

The medical world also has begun to recognize and endorse the app. Kristina Gemzell, the leading Swedish researcher in the field of contraception sits on the company’s advisory board and conducts clinical studies together with Natural Cycles.

Raoul Scherwitzl, co-founder and chief executive of Natural Cycles said: “We are building a large company and the funding will primarily be used for recruitment. We want to combine the best of the worlds of pharmaceutical and tech – building an empowering brand backed with thorough research. We are very excited to have Bonnier on board for this journey. It is especially their long-term thinking, consumer focus and commitment to scaling our business, which makes Bonnier Growth Media a great partner.”

Ulrika Saxon, CEO of Bonnier Growth Media said: “Natural Cycles has a unique product and a best-in-class team with a combination of scientific, technology and business competencies. This makes them a perfect match for Bonnier Growth Media’s focus on backing ambitious founders who are building exceptional digital consumer businesses where we can add value in terms of consumer understanding and scaling the business further. Natural Cycles’ mission of making every pregnancy wanted is not only an engaging endeavour to be a part of, but we are convinced that it is also a great business opportunity.”

Bonnier Media Growth is the venture arm of the Swedish media group Bonnier, and its previous investments include companies such as podcast platform Acast, virtual reality gaming studio Resolution Games and cashback service Refunder.