Barclays Female Founder Accelerator 2023 member
Postpartum Plan
Postpartum Plan provides an online resource for expectant and new parents, regardless of gender or location, offering emotional and physical support, community and recovery from birth to back to work and beyond.
We bring exclusive access to a team of professional experts that all postpartum parents should have access to; physio, doula, nutritionist, emotional health therapist and positive psychologists, breath-work, yoga, pilates and PT teachers. From mindset to movement, recovery to recipes; we have you covered.
Research suggests that any parent who suffered complications during pregnancy and birth is vulnerable when they return to work unless appropriate support is given so we bridge that gap of support between parental leave and return to the workforce to ensure that parents thrive, not just survive, parenthood and beyond.
Why did you apply for the Female Founder Accelerator?
I build my business out of passion but don't have the business experience. I want to build my business, learn from the experts and support my pre-seed investment round.
Do you think there's a need for programmes like this for Female Founders?
Absolutely - with only 1% of investment going to Female Founders in 2020 we need the support to really bring our ideas to life.
Why did you want to start your business?
After birth, all our attention goes to the baby and the parent’s emotional and physical recovery is ignored. For example, we do not provide adequate rehabilitation and recovery education to postpartum parents to support their physical or emotional symptoms despite the fact that knowing the correct pelvic floor exercises and how to do them properly means you can improve and in many cases resolve postpartum symptoms such as leaking, prolapse and back pain. Furthermore, the rate of postpartum anxiety has increased by 45% since the pandemic and this is just the diagnosed cases. This has lifelong effects on our parent community when they re-enter the workforce. Emotional and physical challenges faced by parents returning to work have a major impact on wellbeing, absenteeism and work/productivity outcomes, including:
Anxiety, depression and psychological distress
Fatigue, low energy levels and nutritional deficiencies
Over a third of women and 25% of men find it harder than expected returning to work after parental leave. (Source HR Review)
60% of mothers and 30% of fathers change career after parental leave. This is a huge drain of talent for a company. (Source WLM)
Postpartum Plan is the solution: a rehab and recovery resource membership for new parents. We provide a ‘virtual village’ of support for B2C and B2B members through monthly membership (B2C) and corporate gifting (B2B). Imagine if you had the support that you deserve, and that your body needs, to thrive, heal and strengthen postpartum? Imagine if you had a team of experts in your home to help you lay the emotional and physical foundation for a lifetime of parenthood? Postpartum Plan provides this and is currently supporting hundreds of new parents personally and through their company benefit schemes.
What are you looking to get out of this programme?
Access to support, advice on how to grow the business and introductions to angels to help me build the business, develop an app and get Postpartum Plan in front of as many new parents as possible.
Which entrepreneur inspires you the most and why?
Steven Bartlett at the moment; a real innovator, hard worker but also keen learner.
What has been your biggest win in your entrepreneurial journey?
I held a stand at the Employee Benefits Expo 2022 and was told that Postpartum Plan was the most interesting stand there, despite being the smallest business. I also won a grant from FemTech Lab.
What has been your biggest challenge?
Time! I am a mum of 3 so having time to invest in the business. And navigating the business side of things when it is not my strength.
Where did you go for business advice and how did it help you?
I had business coaches who were so helpful to remove my mental barriers and Fem Tech Lab was really helpful too.
What drives you to make your business a success?
My genuine belief that we can revolutionise postpartum health to help our new parents thrive, not just survive, parenthood.
What advice would you give other founders thinking about starting their own business?
With my two amazing daughters Georgia and Peggy who inspire me every single day.