In this Member Spotlight, mHUB connected with Dr. Jennifer Hintzsche, CEO and Founder of PherDal Fertility Science Inc., to explore how a personal journey with infertility led to the creation of an at-home kit to help combat the reality of pervasive infertility.
How did a biologist and a mechanical engineer end up inventing a fertility device that helped them conceive their daughter—and later, hundreds more? It started with a personal challenge: overcome an unexplained infertility diagnosis and bypass an expensive treatment that could be done at home.
Dr. Jennifer Hintzsche had to wait a year before she was able to make an appointment with a fertility specialist and soon thereafter was given an "unexplained fertility" diagnosis with the first line of defense being an expensive clinical treatment. Confronted with a pricey solution for a diagnosis that had no clear cause, Dr. Hintzsche decided to take matters into her own hands. Using her background in biology and her husband’s engineering expertise, the couple created a prototype that ultimately led to the conception of their daughter. What started as a personal solution quickly grew into something bigger.
Encouraged by early success and driven by the desire to help others, Dr. Hintzsche launched PherDal Fertility Science Inc. and began assembling proof-of-concept kits to offer other families a low-cost, accessible first step in fertility treatment. With no prior experience in medical device commercialization, she leaned into community, crowdfunding, and the physical resources at mHUB to bring PherDal to life. Listen to the story here:
A Silent Struggle Shared by Millions
"One in six people globally are impacted by infertility at some point in their life. In the U.S. alone right now, one in five women will struggle for over a year to conceive. I didn't talk about my infertility when I was going through it, so I imagine that the problem is even larger."
"The inspiration for PherDal came after my own infertility diagnosis. I had been trying to conceive for 12 months. I had to wait that long before I could go see a specialist. They ran every single test they could on me, and they diagnosed me with unexplained infertility. The idea that it could just be like, 'we have no idea what's wrong with you,' was shocking. The only option I was given was a $10,000 loan application to try a treatment for a problem they couldn't define. They wanted to get sperm closer to the egg. And I was like, I think we can do that ourselves at home. Fortunately, being a Ph.D. in biology, I ordered lab supplies, and I'm married to a mechanical engineer. That worked out in hindsight, and we invented a medical device that conceived our daughter."
From Personal Solution to Public Mission
What started as a solution for one couple became a mission to help thousands more.
"Once I helped myself, that's when I started telling the world. It snowballed from there. My husband came home one day, and I was like, 'hear me out. I want to try to help other people.' And he's like, 'I don't know if you can sell that kind of thing on the internet.' I said, 'watch me,' and so, I put together 200 proof-of-concept kits. After those first 200 kits sold out, we were like, okay, we're on to something. Infertility is a huge problem, and people need and want this."
Navigating FDA Approval Through Community and Crowdfunding
Rather than give up when faced with regulatory barriers, Dr. Hintzsche leaned into the support of her community—and crowdfunding.
"The FDA was like, 'cool, cool, cool, but you need clearance,' and we didn't have three to five million laying around to go through FDA clearance. So, I just decided to try crowdfunding."
Finding a Home for Innovation at mHUB
A chance encounter at a pitch competition introduced Dr. Hintzsche to a space where physical product innovation thrives.
"I learned about mHUB in 2024. I was at a pitch competition when I met the co-founder of mHUB, and he told me about this magical, amazing place that had every single thing you could ever need to make physical products, and other entrepreneurs that were all like me and trying to really create something that would help people. And the best thing about mHUB is that the people here—they want to help. So, I have literally had someone introduce me to someone, who introduces me to someone, and they're like, 'Yes, I can sit down. How can I help?' And that's like the amazing community that mHUB has really fostered, and why it is so special and has meant so much to me to be here for the past year."
Proof of Concept—and Proof of Hope
From those first 200 kits, a powerful proof point emerged: 34 babies were born. Each story helped fuel the next phase of PherDal’s growth.
"We had such a huge response. We have 34 babies from this first proof-of-concept kit. If they all share their story, this is real. The hope is real. They helped us raise the $630,000 that paid for FDA clearance and got us on the market and to where we are today. And I'm so grateful for each of them. We have already helped now hundreds of babies. We are excited that we're going to start partnering with OBs and really have this as the new first line of infertility treatment that people can try—because they can do it in the privacy of their own home. It's one inch lower than what they would do in the clinic."
Looking Ahead: Redefining the First Line of Infertility Treatment
With a global infertility crisis affecting one in six people, PherDal aims to reshape options for couples facing reproductive health.
“And so, what's next for PherDal is—one in six people globally are going to struggle with infertility, and they need an affordable and accessible option. And PherDal is going to provide it to them."
In just a few short years, PherDal Fertility Science Inc. has transformed a successful prototype into a nationally recognized innovation reshaping fertility care.
The company was named to TIME’s list of the Best Inventions, featured in Forbes, and selected as a SXSW Innovation Awards Finalist. At mHUB, PherDal was a Fourth Revolution Awards finalist in two categories—Innovation of the Year and Rising Star—and its founder, Dr. Jennifer Hintzsche, was recognized on Inc.’s 2025 Female Founders 500 list for her leadership and impact.
With the first and only FDA-cleared, sterile, at-home insemination kit, PherDal is providing a vital, affordable solution for families navigating infertility. And as the company continues to scale, it stands as a model for what’s possible when lived experience meets hardtech innovation.
mHUB is proud to support PherDal’s journey and looks forward to celebrating even more milestones ahead.
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