Born from October 7 grief, built for life: Era’s mission to transform fertility care

“As we began researching the fertility space, we discovered that beyond the fact that 1 in 6 people struggle with fertility, the lack of clarity, guidance, and support in the process is overwhelming,” says Era CEO Omri Stav (Shtivi). “Intended parents often feel lost, and clinics are stretched thin trying to provide support outside of their core medical responsibilities.”

Stav is the older brother of Idan Shtivi, who was abducted on October 7 during the Nova music festival. His body remains held in Gaza. Era was born from the mourning and grief that followed the announcement of Idan’s murder and emerged with the mission of creating new life and families, born from tragedy.

Omri Shtivi and Amir Guez.

“Through hundreds of user interviews, we heard deeply painful stories, individuals and couples who have spent years trying to become parents, making costly mistakes along the way that delayed their chances,” he added. “For them, this isn’t just a pain point, it’s a suffering point, tied to one of the most fundamental human needs.”

The fertility market is valued at over $70 billion annually and is growing rapidly. Today,more than 15% of people in the Western world face fertility challenges, yet there is still no holistic system to guide future parents throughout the entire process.

You can learn more about the company below.

Company Name: Era

Sector: Healthcare, AI

Product/Service description:

Era is developing an AI-driven fertility operating system to optimize time to pregnancy for intended parents and clinics navigating fertility journeys. Using the world's first fertility LLM, we optimize decision-making, personalize options, reduce uncertainty, and streamline the journey.

Founder Bios:

Omri Stav (Shtivi): Omri is a serial entrepreneur with a decade of experience in startups, specializing in supply-and-demand dynamics, marketplace creation, and technology platforms. Era is his fourth startup. Previously, he served as the CEO of Wiv, a company that developed a community management platform.

Amir Guez: Amir brings over 20 years of experience in software development, with a strong focus on the U.S. healthcare sector. He has deep expertise in compliance and complex systems, and combines technological insight with practical understanding of the digital health landscape in the U.S.

Year of Founding: 2025

Last Investment Round: $500k

Last Investment Stage: Pre-Seed

Date of Last Investment: May 2025

Total investment to date: $500k

Investors: Fusion VC, Eynat Guez, Avishi Avrahami, Omer Kaplan

Current number of employees: 3

Open positions: Product, front, backend, data scientist, ux/ui, operations, marketing

Website:
Eraborn.co

How was the idea born?

The core problem Era is solving is the lack of resources and the difficulty of navigating fertility journeys, both for clinics and for intended parents.

We identified this pain point out of a deep personal motivation to create life and help people build families. The idea for Era was born during the shiva for my brother Idan, who was kidnapped to Gaza. We were notified of his murder while his body was still held captive. In that moment of grief, I decided to honor his memory by creating something meaningful, something that brings life into the world.

As we began researching the fertility space, we discovered that beyond the fact that 1 in 6 people struggle with fertility, the lack of clarity, guidance, and support in the process is overwhelming. Intended parents often feel lost, and clinics are stretched thin trying to provide support outside of their core medical responsibilities.

From financial planning and emotional support to understanding treatments, success rates, regulation, and donor selection, intended parents face a fragmented system with little coordination. Clinics, on the other hand, want to focus on the clinical process and improving outcomes, not on navigation, logistics, and resource gaps.

Through hundreds of user interviews, we heard deeply painful stories, individuals and couples who have spent years trying to become parents, making costly mistakes along the way that delayed their chances. For them, this isn’t just a pain point, it’s a suffering point, tied to one of the most fundamental human needs.

And on the provider side, the challenge is similar: doctors want to stay in control, reduce friction, and improve success rates. That’s what we’re here to help them do.

Omri Shtivi and his brother Stav Shtivi.

What is the need for the product?

The need for Era arises from the overwhelming complexity, lack of guidance, and fragmented resources in fertility journeys- for both intended parents and clinics.

Parents struggle to navigate medical, emotional, legal, and financial decisions, while clinics lack tools to support patients beyond the clinical process. Era provides one smart platform that personalizes, guides, and connects all parts of the journey- saving time, reducing stress, and improving outcomes

How is it changing the market?

Era is transforming the fertility market by replacing fragmented, manual processes with one intelligent, personalized platform. For the first time, intended parents can navigate their entire journey- from planning to parenthood, in one place. We're also developing the world’s first fertility-focused LLM, making this a true game changer for both patients and clinics - both can have access to knowledge that can help in decision making and optimize time to pregnancy.

How big is the market for the product and who are its main customers?

The fertility market in which Era operates is valued at over $70 billion annually and is growing rapidly. Today, 1 in 6 people in the Western world face fertility challenges, yet there is still no holistic system to guide future parents throughout the entire process. The market is fragmented, with many options for tests and treatments, but people often struggle to make informed decisions, especially when dealing with sperm or egg donation and surrogacy. Many doctors avoid addressing these complex stages of the fertility journey, focusing only on clinical procedures. Supporting people through their unique path to parenthood requires knowledge of the entire process and the ability to find the right partners, whether medical teams, donors, or surrogates.

At this stage we are focusing single mothers by choice in the sperm donation journey. But thanks to our AI and the technology we are developing - any intended parents who thinking about having a baby can use the platform - plan navigate get resources and optimize their journey to parenthood

Does the product exist already?

Yes.

Who are the main competitors in this sector and how big are they?

There are some unicorns and smaller companies in the fertility market, like Maven, Kindbody, Fio, which are all great companies and products.

What is the added value that the founders bring to the company and the product?

The founders bring over 20 years of experience in technology, with deep expertise in AI, healthcare in the U.S., and regulatory compliance. Their background includes building successful startups, developing complex digital products, and leading marketplace platforms- skills that directly support Era’s mission of connecting fertility providers with patients through a smart, efficient, and scalable solution.

What will the money coming in from the round will be used for?

• Expanding our team with R&D, Operations, Product, designers, and more
• Marketing and expanding our activity and territory in the US
• Offices

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