Maternal Nutrition Company Chiyo Raises $3 Million To Better Support Mothers In America

Chiyo grew 300% in the last year and is working to expand its work with clinics for a holistic approach to fertility care through postpartum while building the first-of-its-kind research database of nutrition for women's health

DETROIT, March 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Chiyo, a next generation maternal nutrition company rewriting what care looks like fertility through postpartum, today announced the completion of a $3 million financing round, led by Bread & Butter Ventures, Ingeborg, Union Heritage Ventures, Peterson Ventures, Detroit Venture Partners, Palette Ventures, and The Helm. The company has now raised a total of $3.4 million in funding to fuel their mission of better maternal nutrition. Chiyo is backed by Aimee Song, the former CFO of Momofuku Elizabeth Chrystal, Jing from Fly by Jing, and Health-Ade Co-Founder Vanessa Dew.

Chiyo is rewriting what nutritional care looks like during each stage of a woman's reproductive life cycle as seen through a food is medicine lens. The company has served 100,000 meals since launching in 2021 and grew 300% in the last year while expanding to a nationwide model. Chiyo now works with more than 100 women's health practitioners and is focused on providing all encompassing maternal nutrition support from beginning to end as they look to serve the whole person.

With this latest round of funding, Chiyo will build its digital platform for personalized customer self-guided content and nutrition programs; scale its distribution through clinics and its practitioner community; and invest in additional research that proves that food is medicine. Chiyo's newly launched personalized nutrition platform will enable better personalized nutritions curriculums, guidance, and community coaching. Users will be able to rate each solution's efficacy and help contribute to a first-of-its-kind research database of nutrition for women's health.

"We're thrilled to back Irene, Jennifer, and the Chiyo team in their bold vision to improve women's health through nutrition. The team's combined backgrounds in nutrition, women's health, public policy and food systems uniquely inform their approach of combining holistic nutrition with a digital platform. We believe they are at the absolute forefront of a tidal wave of opportunity in the food-as-medicine space with a laser focus on improving health outcomes for women and families," said Mary Grove, Managing Partner at Bread & Butter Ventures.

"Investing in women's health is an economic imperative not only for families, but for our entire society. That's why our team is elated to be an investor in Chiyo, and support the company's amazing women founders (Irene and Jennifer) who are at the forefront of creating solutions to improve health outcomes through food," said Sophia Bush, Partner at Union Heritage Ventures.

"Food is a powerful tool when it is understood as both pleasure and as medicine. Chiyo's holistic approach to helping women manage their nutrition during critical life moments — like pregnancy — is empowering, particularly now in a climate where women's reproductive rights are under attack," said Nia Batts, Partner at Union Heritage Ventures.

Rooted in nutritional science with a blend of Eastern food therapy, Chiyo is known for its stage-based and symptom-specific nutrition programs across fertility and postpartum recovery.

Recent data supports the argument and shows that:

• There is a 50%+ decrease in preterm birth rates across L&D hospital units that participated in coordinated holistic care programs between 2014-2010 [SOURCE]
• 77% of clinicians agree nutrition should be included in routine primary care visits [SOURCE]
• 94% agree it's their obligation to discuss nutrition with patients but only 14% feel adequately trained to provide nutrition counseling.[SOURCE]
• 1.4x increased probability of a successful pregnancy with a preconception diet by couples undergoing IVF/ICSI treatment (odds ratio 1.4 with 95% confidence) [SOURCE]
• 66% decrease in risk of infertility related to ovulatory disorders (and 27% due to other causes) demonstrated by women with a higher intake of a "fertility diet"[SOURCE]

"My vision for Chiyo has always been rooted in bringing food-as-medicine to the forefront and rely on it for the different life stages of a woman's health journey. I'm incredibly excited for the folks we have around us to further build out this vision, and build the path to accessibility – while we help educate on the impact nutrition has on generational health," said Irene Liu, CEO and Co-Founder of Chiyo. "Chiyo's $3 million funding will fuel our mission to revolutionize maternal nutrition and support for new parents in America," she added.

"As a mother, certified nutritionist and lactation consultant, I am deeply invested in the well-being of women. Having personally witnessed the transformative power of nutritional wellness during postpartum, I've dedicated myself to helping our customers thrive in their motherhood journey. Now, with this investment, we're excited to take our expertise to a wider audience, ensuring that every mother across America can access the comprehensive support she deserves on her unique path to wellness," said Jennifer Jolorte Doro, Co-Founder and Chief Culinary Officer of Chiyo, and mother of two.

In December, Chiyo activated "Who's Mothering the Mother?" in partnership with Anya, Bobbie, Mavida, Origin, and Swehl to evolve the way our society thinks about and actively cares for mothers in America. To learn more about the campaign please visit mothering.wearechiyo.com and to learn more about Chiyo please visit wearechiyo.com or follow @WeAreChiyo.

About Chiyo
Chiyo is a next generation maternal nutrition company rewriting what care looks like, fertility through postpartum from an integrative food-as-medicine approach. Rooted in Eastern food therapy, Chiyo relies on nutritional science to deliver stage-based and symptom-specific menus for its nutrition programs. All of Chiyo's food is dairy, gluten free and relies on seasonality for ingredient sourcing. Chiyo includes a digital guided component and health coaching with every program. Chiyo's rapid consumer adoption is quickly making it the go-to nutrition plugin for women's health clinics and birth practitioners across the U.S. The program is available nationwide and can be found at wearechiyo.com.

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SOURCE Chiyo