HEALTHCARE / SME

By FedEx | March 13, 2025

Access to the right fertility support is life-changing – but do families in Asia get enough of it? Anna Vanessa Haotanto, CEO of Singaporean fertility platform Zora Health, leverages her tech and venture capital experience to make family planning more inclusive.

• Zora Health is one of Asia's leading fertility and reproductive health platforms, bringing together patients, employers and care providers to deliver accessible family planning.
• CEO Anna Vanessa Haotanto is an award-winning entrepreneur, investor and thought leader focused on reproductive health and digital fertility solutions across the Asia Pacific region.
• With over 16 years of experience scaling technology companies, Anna shares her tips for launching female-owned start-ups in Asia and digital innovation for customer success.

Are families in Asia getting smaller? Low national fertility rates are making headlines across the region, and communities are seeking better access to reproductive health solutions. That’s where Anna Vanessa Haotanto comes in. 

The CEO and founder of Zora Health, Anna tackles systemic fertility issues by providing an easy-to-use, all-in-one platform that simplifies the available support. Personalized solutions range from a ‘fertility navigator’ to wellness workshops tailored to different needs.

When researching the family health market, Anna quickly realized that a one-size-fits-all approach was a major barrier to fertility success. Her focus? Making healthcare more inclusive by democratizing access to care providers and specialists.

A driving force behind Zora Health is Anna’s previous experience as an entrepreneur and venture builder, responsible for economic growth and shaping a more dynamic workforce.

Joining the dots between employee access to quality care and impactful business outcomes, Zora’s value proposition is rooted in making employers more responsible for the well-being of talent outside work.

A former banker and Channel NewsAsia television host, Anna applies her inside-out knowledge of the regional economic landscape to running a business of her own.

We spoke to the CEO and founder about getting a fertility start-up off the ground to bridge the healthcare gap for Asian professionals.

What inspired you to establish Zora Health?  

Anna Vanessa Haotanto: After nearly 20 years working across different industries, I was ready for a fresh start. I spent time evaluating different opportunities in tech, but kept coming back to the same key question: What problem do I feel passionate about solving? What industry is overlooked and underserved? 

Technology has revolutionized so many industries, from how we travel and book hotels to our daily commute. But fertility care remains largely untouched. 

Healthcare was an area of deep personal interest. In just one year, I underwent five surgeries and thought I was experiencing perimenopause. My research highlighted the lack of information and support that exists for women navigating fertility and menopause. 

I’ve personally gone through egg freezing, so I know how complex and overwhelming the process is. It’s a $54 billion global market, with 44% of treatments happening in Asia, but the industry is fragmented, stigmatized, and underserved. 

Despite huge demand, there are only a handful of fertility tech companies in Southeast Asia. Major barriers to entry—social and cultural stigma and a lack of awareness—have stifled industry growth. 

After publicly sharing my experiences, the response was overwhelming. Over 200 women messaged me, and I spoke to more than 80 women—many of them strangers—who were desperate for guidance. It became clear that fertility decisions require early awareness, proper research, and, most importantly, a strong support system. 

But there was no single, trusted platform offering this. That’s when I saw the gap—and Zora Health was born. 

How much has the company grown since its inception?

We started lean and bootstrapped, but we’ve since expanded into multiple markets, securing a strong B2B corporate health offering that continues to gain traction. 

Since our launch, Zora Health has grown rapidly, expanding from an idea into a full-fledged platform that supports fertility, menopause, pregnancy, parenthood, and men’s health. 

At its core, Zora Health is about making healthcare accessible, personalized, and empowering—because every individual deserves the right tools and support to take control of their health. 

You have extensive experience building brands like The New Savvy, ABZD Capital, and Gourmet Food Holdings. What unique challenges did you face when founding Zora Health?

Experience definitely helped. I already knew how to scale businesses, manage teams, and build strategic partnerships. But every venture presents new challenges. Zora Health required navigating complex healthcare regulations, earning trust in the medical space, and educating both consumers and businesses on why fertility and menopause matter. 

Unlike The New Savvy, a digital career platform I founded to support women with finance and investments, this was about creating an entire ecosystem of care. The learning curve was steep, but the impact made it worth it. 

You once mentioned it took 158 pitches to reach your fundraising goal for Zora Health. How did you secure meetings with so many investors, and what tactic was the most effective in getting them onboard?

Persistence, a strong network, and relentless follow-ups. Fundraising is a numbers game. You need to cast a wide net, refine your pitch, and keep iterating. I leveraged every connection, reached out cold when necessary, and always asked for referrals after each meeting. 

The most useful tactic? Education. Many investors didn’t understand the market potential of fertility, menopause, and corporate health benefits. I had to break it down with data, case studies, and success stories to show why this space is the next big frontier in healthcare. 

What is the biggest challenge you face as a female entrepreneur?

I never felt that I was seen as less than an equal to male entrepreneurs. The challenges I encountered were not so much about gender bias, but a lack of understanding and education about the specific issues we’re addressing. Fertility and women’s health are complex topics that aren’t commonly discussed or understood in depth, especially in the investment community.

The difficulty lay in conveying the significance and potential of what we’re trying to achieve at Zora Health, which sometimes led to misunderstandings or underestimations of the market opportunity. 

Increasing awareness and understanding of these critical issues is essential for driving investment, broader support and recognition of the value we bring to the market.

However, with fewer women in decision-making roles in venture capital firms, female entrepreneurs often struggle to find investors who understand and relate to their vision. Particularly if their business focuses on women-centric products or services. 

At the end of the day, the best way to silence doubt is through results.

What can be done to empower more women to step into leadership roles?

Women don’t need more motivation: we need more access, funding, and opportunities. This means systemic change, not just encouragement, including: 

• More female investors funding women-led businesses 
• A shift in workplace culture that normalizes fertility, menopause, and caregiving conversations 
• Policy changes that support working mothers and caregivers 
• Leadership training and mentorship from a younger age

You’re passionate about scaling businesses through digital growth and sales optimization. Can you share a success story where a specific business strategy paid off?

We built a community-driven growth strategy with The New Savvy that turned financial education into a movement. Instead of just pushing out content, we engaged audiences through interactive workshops, corporate partnerships, and media collaborations.

For Zora Health, we applied a similar approach, focusing on content-driven trust-building, B2B partnerships, and digital engagement. One of our biggest wins was securing a corporate partnership that allowed us to provide our fertility and menopause digital platform to thousands of employees, expanding our reach overnight. 

Is there a belief you hold that other business leaders might disagree with?

Growth isn’t just about speed—it’s about sustainability. While rapid expansion can be tempting, especially in a competitive market, I believe true success comes from building strong fundamentals first. 

This is especially critical in healthcare, where trust is paramount. Patients and consumers rely on us not just for services but also for accurate information, ethical guidance, and long-term support in deeply personal aspects of their lives. 

A great business isn’t defined by how quickly it scales but by the value it creates over time. Sustainable growth means prioritizing customer trust, operational excellence, and thoughtful execution over short-term gains. 

At Zora Health, our mission is to build something that lasts. That means listening to our users and refining our approach, so that every step we take contributes to a stronger foundation. 

Ultimately, scaling responsibly leads to more meaningful and lasting success. The companies that endure are the ones that focus on solving real problems, earning trust, and continuously improving. Growth should never come at the cost of credibility, quality, or impact. 

Describe the greatest business failure that you treasure the most.

One of my early ventures didn’t take off as expected. I assumed a great product was enough, but I underestimated the importance of distribution and go-to-market strategy. The experience taught me that no matter how good your solution is, if you don’t have the right channels, partnerships, and market positioning, it won’t scale. 

Now, I prioritize execution and distribution just as much as the product itself. It was a tough lesson, but it shaped how I build businesses today.

***

Our Confessions of a CEO column quizzes Asia Pacific leaders on business insights that aspiring entrepreneurs can learn from. To discover more entrepreneurship stories like Anna’s, subscribe to our monthly newsletter, and stay tuned for the next edition.