Breaking the Cost Barrier in IVF: Eve Fertility’s Mission to Serve the 70% Left Behind in APAC

What if the biggest breakthrough in fertility care for millions of couples in Asia isn’t AI, but a simple, clinically validated technology that makes IVF-level outcomes finally affordable for the middle class?

In this episode of FemTech at Work, we sit down with Yve Lyppens, founder of Eve Fertility, to explore a bold vision: bringing IVF-like results to lower and middle-income couples across APAC at a fraction of today’s cost. Drawing on 15 years in medtech and 5 years in IVF and infertility, Yve explains how intra-vaginal culture (IVC) uses the woman’s body as a natural incubator instead of an expensive lab, making fertility treatment more accessible without compromising clinical pregnancy rates.

If you’re interested in FemTech, fertility, emerging markets, or mission-driven innovation, this conversation offers a rare, on-the-ground look at what it takes to design the right technology for the right market and to stay mentally resilient along the way.

Key Takeaways:

• How does intra-vaginal culture (IVC) actually work, and why using the body as an incubator be a game-changer for fertility care in Asia?
• Why does IVF costs in Malaysia so high, and what can we discover about how IVC could slash per-cycle expenses for middle-class couples?
• Learn from Malaysia’s role as the first APAC market to adopt IVC and deliver its first IVC baby in 2022?
• How governments in countries like Malaysia, China, and others are responding to declining birth rates
• Why AI-driven fertility add-ons actually increase prices, and learn about choosing “the right tech for the right market” instead?
• What hidden challenges do founders face when fundraising for pre-seed healthtech in APAC, and what can we find out about grants vs. VC capital in the region?
• How does being a male founder in women’s health shape conversations with investors, clinicians, and patients and what surprising dynamics will you discover from Yve’s experience?
• What does the emotional side of founding really look like, and how can we learn from Yve’s strategies to manage mental health, setbacks, and “more down days than up days”?
• How big is the unmet need in fertility, especially for lower and middle-income patients, and what can we understand about building a product specifically for those who are currently excluded?

Resources:

Yve Lyppens: LinkedIn

Maaike Steinebach : LinkedIn

Website Femtech Future: https://www.femtechfuture.com

Instagram Femtech Future: @femtech_future

In a world where fertility treatment is still a privilege for the few, Eve Fertility’s vision is a powerful reminder that innovation should serve those who need it most, not just those who can pay the most. This episode is more than a conversation about technology—it’s a call to rethink who gets access to hope.

If this episode moved you, be part of the movement. Share it with someone who cares about women’s health, fertility, or healthcare equity. Like, subscribe, and leave a review so we can amplify the voices of founders like Yve and bring these stories to more ears across the globe.

Thank you for listening, and see you next week for another episode of FemTech at Work, where we spotlight the people reshaping the future of women’s health.