Pre-seed £315k backs AI-driven platform to improve early maternal screening
This article covers Matresa, a healthtech startup, which has raised £315k in a pre-seed funding round led by SFC Capital to accelerate development of a personalised, AI-driven maternal health platform ahead of a planned summer launch. The funding aims to improve early screening, continuity of care and employer support for people during pregnancy and postpartum, addressing worsening maternal outcomes in the UK.
Matresa, a healthtech startup, has raised £315,000 in a pre-seed funding round led by SFC Capital to accelerate development of a personalised, AI-driven maternal health platform ahead of a planned summer launch. The investment arrives against a worsening picture for maternal outcomes in the UK and aims to improve early screening, continuity of care and employer support for people during pregnancy and postpartum.
Why it matters
Maternal deaths in the UK are at their highest level in more than 20 years, and one in five women experience serious complications or maternal mental health disorders after childbirth. Many of these outcomes are considered preventable with earlier intervention and better continuity of care. Analysts estimate preventable maternal health issues cost the UK economy between £13 billion and £15 billion a year through lost productivity, higher healthcare spending and longer-term social impacts.
The funding also highlights a persistent funding imbalance: all-female founder teams received just 2.8% of venture funding in 2024–25. For a company led by a woman founder addressing maternal health, access to capital remains a notable barrier.
Inside the product
Matresa is positioning itself as a clinical-grade, preventative maternal health platform that combines clinical expertise, behavioural science and AI-powered insights. The product is described as providing continuous, personalised screening and support throughout matrescence — the transition from pregnancy to early parenthood — and is designed to spot risk earlier than standard maternity pathways.
Key capabilities the company highlights include early screening and diagnostics, structured personalised support for mothers and partners, and tools intended to give employers visibility and continuity during maternity leave. The platform is pitched as supporting both clinical outcomes for mothers and workplace retention, with the press release citing research that up to one in three mothers leave the workforce within a year of childbirth and replacement costs for skilled employees can range from £30,000 to £150,000.
Who are the investors?
The round was led by SFC Capital, with Edward Stevenson, Fund Principal at SFC Capital, named as the lead contact on the deal. The raise totals £315,000 and is earmarked for product development and rollout ahead of the summer launch.
In the announcement, Edward Stevenson, Fund Principal at SFC Capital, said:
SFC Capital was delighted to lead this investment round in Matresa. We made this investment given the talent and strength of Mari-Carmen and the growing problem that the company is solving. She has demonstrated to us tenacity and determination in all our interactions, all of which suggest to us that she is 100% committed to improving maternal health for women everywhere.
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Founder perspective
Matresa was founded by Mari-Carmen Sanchez-Morris, a former nurse who worked in a paediatric intensive care unit and who says her clinical experience and personal journey through motherhood revealed gaps in support before and after birth. The founder frames the product as a way to shift maternal care from reactive to preventative and to address the broader social and economic effects of poor maternal outcomes.
In the announcement, Mari-Carmen Sanchez-Morris, founder of Matresa, said:
Poor maternal healthcare isn’t just happening in a vacuum: it affects other areas of healthcare, and stunts women’s career growth, which in turn impacts businesses and the wider economy. Tailored care isn’t a privilege – it’s a right. Women and mothers deserve to feel safe and supported, and we need to do more to tackle this crisis.
The bigger picture
Matresa’s raise sits at the intersection of two trends: growing demand for digital tools that can provide continuous, preventative care outside traditional clinic visits, and increasing attention to workforce retention and employer responsibility around pregnancy and early parenthood. For UK healthtech, solutions that can tie clinical outcomes to economic benefits for employers could help build commercial routes to scale.
The deal also underlines continued challenges for female founders seeking capital in the UK. If Matresa can demonstrate measurable improvements in screening and return-to-work outcomes, it may help make the case for more investment into maternal-focused healthtech.
The funding of a London-based healthtech startup like Matresa adds to a slow but visible stream of early-stage activity in UK maternal and women’s health. As the product rolls out this summer, investors and NHS partners will be watching for evidence that preventative, AI-driven support can reduce complications and improve continuity of care across the system.
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