Led by BDC's Thrive Venture Fund, the round will fund Sprout's expansion from fertility into pregnancy, postpartum, parental leave and return to work.

TORONTO, Oct. 15, 2026 /CNW/ -- Sprout Family, Canada's first integrated family benefits platform, today announced it has closed a $3.55 million CAD seed round led by BDC Thrive Venture Fund, with participation from Accelia Capital, MaRS Investment Accelerator Fund, StandUp Ventures, and The51.

The investment comes as employers face a growing gap between the needs of their workforce and the support available through traditional benefits. Nearly half of the Canadian workforce is between 25 and 45, when employees are most likely to be navigating fertility, pregnancy, parental leave and the transition back to work. Yet, support across these moments remains fragmented, leaving employees and employers to navigate complex needs across disconnected benefits, policies and processes.

The need is significant. One in six Canadians face infertility, a condition as prevalent as diabetes, while a single IVF cycle can cost more than $20,000. Roughly 420,000 Canadians take parental leave each year, and one in three women leave within 18 months of returning from leave. For employers, these challenges can translate into significant costs and talent loss.

"Parenthood can be one of life's most rewarding experiences, but also one of its most complex," said Mona Minhas, Managing Partner, Thrive Venture Fund, BDC. "Sprout Family is addressing a critical gap in access to trusted family support through a scalable technology platform. This investment aligns with the Thrive Venture Fund's focus on supporting companies led by trailblazing women leaders, while supporting BDC's mission to help innovative Canadian companies grow and create lasting impact."

Sprout was founded in 2023 by Jackie Hanson and Suzanne Mason after seeing firsthand how poorly traditional benefits addressed family-building. The initial focus was fertility, where most employer benefits plans were never designed to support the one in six Canadians who struggle to conceive. But conversations with employers quickly revealed that fertility was only the beginning. The same employees were navigating pregnancy, parental leave and the return to work through outdated policies and disconnected, manual processes.

That insight led Sprout to build a platform around the whole arc of the family-building journey. Sprout supports employees continuously, from the moment they start thinking about family-building through their first day back at work.

And the approach is gaining traction. Sprout now works with insurers, advisors, and employers across the country. The number of employees with access to Sprout has scaled by 11x, including forward-thinking Canadian organizations like Wealthsimple, EllisDon, and Lazer Technologies.

"There's been a surge in interest in women's health, and we're proud to be part of that movement in Canada. But family-building isn't only a women's health issue, it's a human one, and employers are starting to build benefits that reflect that. In five years, every meaningful family moment - the first egg retrieval, the adoption match call, the parental leave plan that actually works, the return to a career that's still there - will run on Sprout," said Jackie Hanson, co-founder and CEO of Sprout Family.

With this new funding, Sprout will continue expanding its platform beyond fertility and family-building into pregnancy, postpartum, parental leave and return to work. Sprout will also be looking to continue to grow the team and deepen partnerships across the insurance and benefits industry. Sprout is growing its team across Canada - visit Sprout's careers page to learn more.

"We are thrilled to partner with Sprout Family as they redefine how Canadian employers support family planning, parental leave and the return to work. These are among the most consequential moments in an employee's life, yet the support around them is fragmented and insufficient. Sprout has built a platform employees trust and that insurers and employers can rely on. Accelia Capital is proud to back this strong founding team as they build the infrastructure for family benefits in Canada." - Julien Roy, Principal at Accelia Capital.

About Sprout Family

Sprout Family is Canada's first integrated family benefits platform, supporting employees through fertility, family-building, parental leave, and return to work, while giving HR the tools to manage it all in one place. Learn more at sproutfamily.ca.