Claire Tomkins, the founder and CEO of Future Family, is transforming the landscape of fertility care by making it more accessible, affordable, and compassionate. Driven by her journey through in vitro fertilization (IVF), Tomkins has built a company that blends fintech and digital health to address the financial and emotional challenges of fertility treatments. Since founding Future Family in 2016, she has raised over $150 million in funding and earned recognition as a trailblazer in women’s health, appearing on lists like Inc. Magazine’s Top 100 Female Founders and Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Next Gen.
From Clean Energy to Women’s Health
Tomkins’ path to founding Future Family was unconventional. With a PhD in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University, she began her career in clean energy, serving as Director of Product Marketing at SolarCity (now Tesla), where she helped scale one of the largest consumer finance businesses in the solar industry. Her experience in making innovative technology affordable and accessible in the solar sector laid the groundwork for her approach to fertility care.
Her pivot to women’s health was deeply personal. Tomkins and her husband faced significant challenges conceiving, undergoing multiple rounds of IVF that cost over $100,000 and resulted in several miscarriages before welcoming their three children. This grueling experience exposed the financial and emotional toll of fertility treatments, inspiring her to create a solution that would ease these burdens for others. “It’s this emotional and financial rollercoaster,” Tomkins said in an Entrepreneur interview. “We’re stepping in to say, ‘Okay, let’s try and address the financial rollercoaster so you can focus on your emotional journey.’”
Future Family: A New Model for Fertility Care
Founded in San Francisco, Future Family is the first company to combine fertility financing, technology, and concierge care into a seamless, subscription-based platform. The company offers monthly payment plans for IVF and egg freezing, starting at $150 for egg freezing and $250-$300 for IVF, with zero-down options to eliminate upfront costs. Each plan is personalized, featuring services such as genetic testing, acupuncture, and 24/7 access to a dedicated nurse concierge, ensuring patients receive both financial and emotional support.
Future Family partners with premier fertility clinics across the U.S., streamlining pricing and billing to eliminate surprise costs. The company also provides a digital dashboard for patients to manage their fertility journey, from doctor matching to treatment planning and follow-up. In 2023, Future Family expanded its offerings with an employer solution, enabling companies to offer fertility benefits to their employees, a move driven by growing demand for workplace-supported family-building options.
Tomkins’ innovative approach extends to insuring IVF, a concept initially met with skepticism in the insurance industry. By leveraging improved IVF success rates and building an actuarial model, Future Family created a multi-disbursement insurance product to mitigate financial risks for patients. This groundbreaking model has made fertility care more predictable and accessible, particularly for underserved groups like LGBTQ+ couples and transgender individuals, who face additional barriers due to restrictive insurance definitions of infertility.
A Leader in Femtech and Beyond
The femtech market, projected to reach $50 billion by 2025, is one of the fastest-growing sectors in healthcare, and Tomkins is at its forefront. Her leadership has been recognized with accolades such as Hustle 2X’s Woman of the Year Top-50 Finalist and San Francisco Business Times’ 40 Under 40. Beyond her professional achievements, Tomkins is a passionate advocate for women entrepreneurs, emphasizing the importance of women’s professional networks. “Women are highly collaborative,” she told Forbes. “Being a part of a women’s network has been hugely impactful.”
Her advice to aspiring leaders reflects her values: be authentic, transparent, and resilient, and never compromise on your core principles. Tomkins also stresses the importance of self-care, noting that personal happiness fuels better leadership. Her vision for Future Family goes beyond financing, aiming to empower people with information about their fertility options earlier in their journey, reducing anxiety and enabling informed decisions.
A Personal Mission with Global Impact
Tomkins’ personal story resonates with many. Raised on a farm in the Midwest after immigrating from the UK at age five, she brings a grounded perspective to her work. Now based in San Francisco with her husband Marc and their three children, she remains committed to outdoor pursuits and theater, balancing her demanding career with family life.
Future Family’s mission to make fertility care accessible to all is particularly poignant for marginalized communities. For example, the company’s reciprocal IVF plan supports lesbian and trans couples, addressing the compounded costs and complexities they face. “The best moments of my day are when we get emails and texts from clients who we helped to start a family,” Tomkins shared in a Thrive Global interview. “There is nothing — NOTHING — better than that.”
Looking Ahead
With $25 million raised in a 2022 Series B round led by Munich Re Ventures and a total of $150 million in funding, Future Family is poised for continued growth. Tomkins envisions a future where technology further enhances fertility care, from improving user experiences to leveraging data analytics for better outcomes. Her work is not just about building a business but about creating a movement to democratize family-building, ensuring that everyone, regardless of financial or social barriers, can pursue their dream of parenthood.
Claire Tomkins’ journey from clean energy to women’s health exemplifies how personal challenges can spark transformative innovation. Through Future Family, she is redefining fertility care, one family at a time, proving that empathy, technology, and financial ingenuity can change lives.
