Andrea Ippolito is on a mission to help parents and families to access the resources and tools they need —whenever and wherever they need them—during the early days and months of parenthood. She is the founder and CEO of Ithaca, N.Y. - based SimpliFed, a company that provides infant nutrition and breastfeeding support to parents from pregnancy through postpartum. SimpliFed’s Maternal Health Operating System offers new families easy and seamless access to virtual care options, regardless of user location, time of day or other constraints.
Ippolito started the company after experiencing firsthand the challenges of accessing support. "After having my first daughter, I saw how hard baby feeding was, impacting not just my baby’s health, but also my physical and mental health. I also learned that baby feeding and breastfeeding support was an entire clinical specialty covered by health plans. I wanted to further elevate this specialty and democratize access to support for families across the U.S.”
Now, after three years of building the technology and platform, the company is poised for success. SimpliFed serves families in all 50 states, collaborating with more than 300 healthcare systems and practices, including TRICARE, Medicaid and commercial health plans.
Through Empire State Development’s New York Ventures program, Ippolito received matching equity investment to help grow her business, including February's announcement of a total raise of $4 million featuring new investment from The Artemis Fund, Cultivation Capital and the American Heart Association Social Impact Funds, alongside the monies from New York Ventures.
And not only is Ippolito helping families across the country to better provide for their needs, she is raising her own family at the same time. Her energy, passion and commitment to helping mothers, parents and families, including her own, is improving outcomes for mothers and babies in New York State and across the country.