# Paxton Maeder-York

> Paxton Maeder-York is the founder of Alife Health, an AI platform for IVF clinics that has raised $31.5M and raised the standard for data-driven fertility care. A Harvard-trained biomedical engineer and MBA, he previously helped build surgical robotics at Auris Health (acquired by J&J for $3.4B) and worked in product at Google X. In 2020, driven in part by the fact that his younger brother is an IVF baby, he founded Alife to apply machine learning to embryo selection, hormone dosing, and lab scheduling. By 2024 the company had launched five products, earned recognition from Fast Company and the World Economic Forum, and achieved a leadership transition - Paxton stepping into a board role as Melissa Teran took the CEO seat.

- **Role:** Board Member at Alife Health
- **Organizations:** Alife Health, Harvard SEAS, Harvard Business School, Auris Health, Google X (Intrinsic)
- **Nationality:** American (Swiss-American)
- **Education:** S.B. Biomedical Engineering, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, S.M. Computational Science, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, MBA, Harvard Business School
- **Known for:** Founded Alife Health and grew it to 80 employees with $31.5M raised across two rounds, Won Grand Prize at Harvard Business School New Venture Competition (2020), Named World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer (2022)

## Career timeline

- **2014** — Graduated Harvard SEAS with S.B. in Biomedical Engineering; joined Auris Health as early engineer and first Product Manager
- **2014-2017** — Spent ~3 years at Auris Health building surgical robotic systems for lung cancer treatment in San Francisco
- **2017** — Enrolled in Harvard MBA and S.M. Computational Science programs simultaneously
- **2019** — Completed MBA and S.M.; joined Google X (now Intrinsic) as Product Manager in robotics
- **2019** — Auris Health acquired by Johnson & Johnson for $3.4 billion
- **2020** — Founded Alife Health; won Grand Prize at Harvard Business School New Venture Competition
- **2021-05** — Alife Health raised $9.5M seed round led by Lux Capital, with backing from Anne Wojcicki and Fred Moll
- **2022-03** — Alife Health raised $22M Series A led by Union Square Ventures
- **2022** — Selected as World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer
- **2022-late** — Launched Stim Assist AI product for hormone dosing optimization
- **2024** — Alife Health named Fast Company Most Innovative Companies (small & mighty category)
- **2024-10** — Transitioned from CEO to Board Member; Melissa Teran promoted to CEO

## Achievements

- Founded Alife Health and grew it to 80 employees with $31.5M raised across two rounds
- Won Grand Prize at Harvard Business School New Venture Competition (2020)
- Named World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer (2022)
- Alife Health named Fast Company Most Innovative Companies (2024)
- Launched 5 AI products for fertility clinics including Stim Assist, Embryo Assist, Embryo Predict, Schedule Predict, and Success Predictor
- Stim Assist proven to retrieve up to 20% more eggs and reduce medication costs by ~$1,000 per cycle
- Embryo Predict received CE Mark under European Medical Device Regulation (2025)
- First product manager at Auris Health, which was acquired by J&J for $3.4B

## Latest updates

- **2025-01** — Embryo Predict received CE Mark under European Medical Device Regulation, expanding Alife's reach into European markets
- **2024-10** — Paxton stepped down as CEO; Melissa Teran (former COO/Head of Product) became CEO; Paxton joined the Board of Directors
- **2024-03** — Alife Health recognized in Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies 2024 in the small & mighty category

## Links

- Website: https://alifehealth.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/paxton-maeder-york-00108736
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/pmaederyork
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pmaederyork/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alifeivf

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/paxton-maeder-york
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-06