Planning for the Future: Social Egg Freezing

Two Management & Law graduates found a startup that supports women in the process of social egg freezing

Fertility, career, and family planning are on the minds of many young women. One way of planning ahead is “social egg freezing,” where egg cells are removed from women to preserve them for a later pregnancy. This practice is not yet legalized in Austria. Eggs may only be preserved if there is a medical indication. Now that a young woman from Vienna has contested this ban in court, the Constitutional Court is hearing a possible legalization.

Two loud voices who are also calling for a change in legislation are Lisa Maria Ladner and Johanna Rief. Both are successful graduates of our Bachelor's program in Management & Law and are now the proud founders of “Fyrce Care.” Their company, based in Germany (where social egg freezing is legal), supports young women with their family planning.

The founding process of Fyrce Care resulted from very personal experiences for both of them. During longer stays in New York, Johanna noticed how openly egg freezing is discussed there - in contrast to Germany and Austria, where there is often still a hesitancy on the subject. Lisa, on the other hand, discovered a guide written by Johanna on the subject, which ultimately prompted her to have her eggs frozen herself. Both founders are over 30, single, and childless – and therefore belong to the target group that Fyrce Care addresses today. This personal connection proved to be the ideal basis for founding their startup.

From their own experience, the two know how overwhelming the first contact with the topic of fertility can be – and how great the lack of reliable, comprehensible information is. This is exactly where Fyrce Care comes in: The platform aims to offer women evidence-based information, provide them with empathetic support and connect them with each other. The aim is to create a space in which women can reflect on their reproductive future in a self-determined way and actively take care of their egg health.

However, the implementation of their vision is also accompanied by many challenges. The two entrepreneurs are currently working without a salary and have also invested equity in the development of the company. The search for investors requires perseverance, confidence in their own idea and a lot of time - all this in parallel with the development and operational set-up of the platform. There are also ongoing costs for technology, design, legal and medical expertise. However, Johanna and Lisa did not want to compromise in a sensitive area such as fertility.

The strong belief in creating something meaningful with Fyrce Care is the central driving force and helps the founders to deal with daily uncertainties and challenges. The company also addresses an urgent social need. For example, one in six people worldwide is currently affected by infertility. At the same time, over 50 percent of women in Germany between the ages of 33 and 35 are (still) childless.

Despite still being in development and self-financing, Fyrce Care was able to gain a dedicated community even before the official launch. The media reach is 7.7 million. The founders are also especially moved by the direct feedback: many users report that Fyrce Care has provided them with comprehensive information about their reproductive options for the first time - such as the importance of lifestyle and nutrition for egg health, egg freezing as a preventive measure or the partial coverage of costs by health insurance companies.

From a societal perspective, the project is also having an impact. A petition to legalize social freezing in Austria and articles in media such as GRAZIA, DIE ZEIT, and ORF have created visibility and sparked a public debate.

In the future, the two female founders see great potential in technology-based fertility care. They are planning AI- assisted services, personalized programs and a scalable model to facilitate access to reproductive health –  with the aim of closing the gap between individual life planning and medical reality, and establishing Fyrce Care as the leading brand for egg health in Europe.

As the Entrepreneurial School^® it is a pleasure and a privilege for us to report on success stories such as those of Johanna and Lisa Maria. We wish our graduates continued success in realizing their vision.