Mr. Daisuke Kanda, CEO of ninpath Inc.
One in four couples in their 20’s to 40’s have undergone fertility testing or treatment in Japan. The physical and mental burden of fertility treatments is huge, as well as its time and financial cost. There is also data showing that about one-third of women undergoing fertility treatments quit their jobs because of the difficulty balancing treatment and work. ninpath is an app that provides mental support as well as data management and information for those undergoing fertility treatments. We spoke with Mr. Daisuke Kanda, the CEO of ninpath Inc., the company that is developing and offering the app.
―Could you tell us about ninpath Inc.?
We, ninpath Inc., provide an app called “ninpath” that allows users to manage and record their fertility treatments and to compare them with others’ treatment data.
―Please tell us about how and why you became focused on fertility treatments.
I’m often asked if I myself was treated for infertility, but I actually have not. I had my own child at a relatively young age, so I talked about children very often, even at work. I now think my insensitive remarks may have hurt those who were undergoing fertility treatments.
It was when I was working at a startup after graduate school that I first came across the topic of infertility.
There were a total of 20 people at the startup, and I was a member of a team of five or six. Even among such a small team, two of the members were going through fertility treatments.
In casual conversations at work, one of them told me about fertility treatments, but I didn’t know anything about them at the time, so I could only say something like “Oh, really?”
One day, the person said, “It’s hard for me to keep going because of the cap on the subsidies.” But then again, I could only respond with things like “Oh, I see.”
Another colleague, who was being treated for infertility and was much older than me, told me, “I’m thinking of giving up on pregnancy and childbirth and just adopt a child.” Requirements for adoption were quite strict, and I don’t know how that person turned out, but it has always stuck with me that there are those who are going through a very tough time.
Looking back, I was originally motivated by this experience.
―I see. That led you to start your business, right?
Not directly. There was still another step before I started my business.
After working for the startup, I was involved in business development and support for practitioners at M3, Inc., which provides a medical platform.
My job was to meet and support more than 1000 doctors a year who intended to practice. It involved asking the doctors about their views on management and their feelings toward their patients and teams, and I was shocked by the gap between insured and non-insured treatments.
That was my biggest turning point.
After leaving M3, I wanted to both change how the non-insured were treated and to build my own business, which led me to consider starting a healthcare business. This was when I remembered that my former colleagues were struggling with fertility treatments.
As I researched fertility treatments and listened to the people involved, I realized that there were no other areas of non-insured treatment where the issues were so intertwined.
I decided to start with what we could and set up a company by developing “ninpath.”
―What are the difficulties of fertility treatments?
Those who are undergoing fertility treatment often say that they feel like they are groping their way through a pitch-black tunnel where they can’t see their way out. Most people don’t even know which treatment to choose.
We are trying to solve their uncertainty with the help of data and experts.
Today, one in four married couples in their 20’s to 40’s in Japan undergo fertility testing or treatment. However, these fertility treatments are extremely burdensome, and the average length of hospital visits is 23 months, or nearly two years. In addition, depending on the content and phase of the treatment, patients may have to go to the hospital for three or four days a week or may have to suddenly schedule back-to-back visits when required by their doctor, which makes it very difficult for people working full-time.
Also, the average cost can be as much as 1.3 million yen. In addition to the treatment cost, secondary expenses for conditioning, such as for supplements, Chinese herbal medicine, and clinic visits for acupuncture and moxibustion, are also large. These expenses often exceed the treatment cost.
―That’s a big deal. The emotional toll must also be heavy…
That’s right. Fertility treatments not only cost a lot of time and money,, but also affect your mental health. There is data showing that a majority of women undergoing in-vitro fertilization (IVF) develop depressive symptoms. And about one-third of women with depressive symptoms end up quitting their jobs, unable to balance work and treatment.
The reality is that fertility patients are forced to bear not only a physical burden, but also a huge mental, financial, and social burden.
―Why is the situation like this?
The right fertility treatments are different for each person. Also, available treatments and their procedures vary from clinic to clinic. However, clinics rarely refer patients to other clinics that can provide more appropriate treatments for them.
The first place that about 60% of prospective patients visit is not a clinic specialized in fertility, but a general obstetrics and gynecology clinic. The tests and treatments available there are different from specialized ones.
For example, if a patient who may need to undergo IVF visits a general clinic, they are not likely to be referred to a specialized clinic at first even though IVF is not available at the general clinic. Usually, a set of treatments that are available at the general clinic are provided to the patient first.
As a result, patients really need to research clinics and treatments themselves and make their own choices. But after being in such a situation for as long as two years, they get stuck thinking, “I don’t know what to do.”
―”ninpath” helps solve that problem, right?
Yes, it does. Based on the premise that the best choice is different for each person, the app visualizes data about their age, test results, and current treatments to help them understand where they are. We also visualize various treatments and clinics’ track record as well as what types of people choose which treatments and which clinics.
We also offer side-by-side support and online counseling services by fertility treatment experts.
―What feedback have you received from those who triedcounseling?
In our interviews with them, most of them said that they had thought at first counselling wouldn’t make any difference, but after trying it, they saw a lot of improvement.
Counseling helps them quickly decide on what to do next for treatment. In addition, many people said that counseling relieved some of the mental burden, responding positively to the idea of a new guideline or to a new frame of mind when working through the issue.
―Please tell us about your future plans.
Our feedback has so far been very positive, and many people who have used our app say that they want to continue using it. However, it’s also true that nearly 70% of people feel that there is a cost barrier because they are already bearing a heavy financial burden.
For those who want to use our app, but feel that it costs too much, we are currently making proposals to companies and local governments to ease that burden. We will continue to work to reduce the cost for individuals through the realization of employee support and residential services.
―With the cooperation of ninpath, we plan to conduct a fact-finding survey of MRI employees about fertility treatments and hold a relevant seminar. ninpath’s goal is to realize a society where those who want children can comfortably choose among the various options by exploring them side by side. ICF would like to contribute to the realization of this society.
| Company name: ninpath Inc. |
| Founded：March 2020 |
| Main business：Internet services related fertility treatment, etc. URL：https://ninpath.com |
This article is part of a series of articles introducing venture companies working together as ICF members to resolve societal issues.