Welcome toSecond Life, a podcast spotlighting successful women who’ve made major career changes—and fearlessly mastered the pivot. Hosted by Hillary Kerr, co-founder and chief content officer at Who What Wear, each episode gives you a direct line to women who are game changers in their fields. Subscribe to Second Life on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere you get your podcasts to stay tuned.
Afton Vechery, the co-founder and CEO of Modern Fertility—an innovative healthcare company making personalized fertility information and support accessible to women everywhere—has completely shifted the rather outdated narrative of women’s health. Vechery is breaking down the barriers so that women can take control of their health and unique fertility journeys through easily accessible at-home tests and digital tools like personalized reports, one-on-one consultations, and access to a weekly “Egginar.” With its proactive ethos, Modern Fertility is empowering women to own the decisions impacting their bodies and futures—whether they’re trying for kids or not.
Since Vechery founded the company in 2017, Modern Fertility has already been acquired for a number reported to exceed $225 million by patient-driven Telehealth company Ro (which is now valued at a whopping $5 billion). Unsurprisingly, this is one of the most significant deals that the women’s health space has seen to date, and in 2019, the company was awarded Fast Company‘s Most Innovative Health Company award. Today, the company has expanded its product offerings into other women’s health categories like pregnancy and ovulation tests and a prenatal multivitamin. There’s no denying that Vechery has catapulted women’s health into a modern world, changing women’s relationship with fertility for the better.
Before Vechery built the brand, she began her career in healthcare private equity, where she quickly learned of the outdated practices and predatory pricing models within the booming fertility healthcare sector. She then worked in strategic operations at various health tech startups and then went on to run the consumer-tools division at 23andMe—the first and only direct-to-consumer DNA test that includes over 55 health reports that meet FDA requirements. Listen to the latest episode of Second Life to hear how Vechery’s past career life led her to start her own company that would positively impact women around the world.
