Partners fight to save lives

VITAL SERVICE: Meg Wirth, left, and Allyson E. Cote are co-founders of Maternova, a business that provides information and products designed to reduce the risk of childbirth-related deaths. / PBN FILE PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO
VITAL SERVICE: Meg Wirth, left, and Allyson E. Cote are co-founders of Maternova, a business that provides information and products designed to reduce the risk of childbirth-related deaths. / PBN FILE PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Meg Wirth was studying deaths related to childbirth in Indonesia when one of her colleagues, an obstetrician, died of childbirth complications at a hospital.

She calls the death sobering because it highlights how easily childbirth-related deaths can happen to anyone, regardless of socioeconomic background.

And it marked a catalytic event in Wirth’s life, eventually leading to the 2009 birth of Maternova Inc., a global health and technologies aggregator and supplier with a focus on saving lives during childbirth.

But the fledgling company took a while to get moving, as Wirth, CEO and co-founder, still worked a full-time job and the business model was still a work in progress. Enter Allyson E. Cote, vice president and co-founder, in 2012, who helped Wirth take Maternova from an idea to a full business.

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The two women met through LinkedIn after Wirth used the social-business platform to express a need for help on the business side. Cote, who knew nothing about the company, felt moved by Maternova’s mission.

The company estimates a woman loses her life every 90 seconds in childbirth-related deaths. The problem is especially stark in such countries as Niger, where one in seven women will die due to complications in childbirth. The deadly trend leaves about 1 million children motherless each year, according to Maternova.

Wirth and Cote found one another to be complementary because of their opposing skills sets. Wirth’s expertise in academia, policy and health melded well with Cote’s specialization in startups, sales and marketing.

As the duo started building the business model, it became rapidly apparent the demand for some products was much broader than expected. Maternova’s marketplace began to expand and international partnerships were formed.

“It’s largely due to Meg’s expertise of knowing the subject matter … that people look through our website and the products, read our blog, and they know they’re going to get the most reliable, well-tested information,” Cote said.

To date, Maternova estimates it’s helped 270,000 mothers and babies in more than 40 countries.

The company has aggregated a slew of products, including basic items, such as a solar headlamp and visor, and more technical devices, such as a garment for postpartum hemorrhage.

The company also recently filed for a patent on its first proprietary product: a predictive indicator that helps mothers determine risk of hemorrhage.

“We don’t think what we’re doing is rocket science. We’re becoming an aggregator, and in doing so trying to break through a lot of red tape and connect governments and decision-makers to our site,” Wirth said. •

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