Maternal health AI company Matresa has raised £315,000 in pre-seed funding to accelerate the development and rollout of its personalised, technology-driven maternal health platform.
The funding comes at a critical point for maternal care in the UK, with maternal deaths now at their highest level in more than twenty years, highlighting the urgent need for earlier intervention and improved continuity of care for women[1].
Matresa is a clinical grade preventative maternal health platform for early screening and diagnostics, addressing this crisis by transforming how maternal care is delivered – intelligently, preventatively, and compassionately. It was founded by former nurse Mari-Carmen Sanchez-Morris, whose experiences working in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) highlighted the lack of support available to mothers both before and after birth. Her own journey through motherhood only solidified these findings.
One in five women experience maternal mental health disorders and/or serious complications following childbirth, placing a significant and often overlooked strain on families, healthcare systems, and the wider economy [2]. Many of these outcomes are preventable with earlier intervention and better continuity of care, yet gaps in maternal health services persist. As a result, preventable maternal
health issues are estimated to cost the economy between £13 and £15 billion each year, reflecting lost productivity, increased healthcare spending, and long-term social impact [3].
The funding landscape is also notoriously skewed, with only 2.8% of funding going to all-female founder teams in 2024-25; a number that shows little signs of improvement [4]. This funding injection will enable Matresa to optimise its services and better support women and mothers across the country.
By integrating clinical expertise, behavioural science, and AI-powered insights, Matresa provides continuous, personalised support for mothers throughout matrescence, the complex journey from pregnancy through to early parenthood.
The platform provides structured, preventative personalised support and screening for mothers and partners during maternity leave, while giving emp