SimpliFed is a virtual maternal health company based in Ithaca, New York, that helps families through pregnancy, postpartum, and baby feeding. Founded by biomedical engineer Andrea Ippolito in 2019, it began as insurance-covered virtual lactation support and has grown into a broader 'Maternal Health Operating System' (mOS) that pairs IBCLC lactation consultants and care navigators with prenatal and postpartum virtual OB services. Working in-network with most major commercial plans and Medicaid in multiple states, SimpliFed partners with health systems and OB clinics to extend judgment-free, evidence-based care into the home.
Kate Torgersen is the founder and CEO of Milk Stork, the world's first breast milk shipping service for traveling professionals. After lugging 26 pounds of milk home from a business trip while nursing infant twins, she co-invested $25,000 with her father and built a logistics platform now serving 850+ companies, having shipped more than 7.5 million ounces of breast milk across 112 countries. A former 18-year Clif Bar communications executive with an MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute, Kate turned a deeply personal frustration into a category-defining company backed by Backstage Capital and named to Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies list.