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  • January 2018 (Revised October 2020)
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Giving Birth to Ovia Health

By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang and Julia Kelley
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:23
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Abstract

In late 2016, Paris Wallace, the CEO of Ovia Health, and the rest of the company’s co-founders faced a difficult decision about the best way to grow Ovia Health’s revenue. Founded in 2012, Ovia Health specialized in mobile and web applications in the women’s health space. After building a strong user base with its original app (Ovia Fertility, which helped women conceive by tracking ovulation and other factors), the young company launched a second app, Ovia Pregnancy, which helped women have a healthy pregnancy by tracking various health metrics. Ovia Health’s apps were free to use, and most of the company’s revenue came from charging advertisers to host ads on its native advertising platform. Wallace believed that the family benefits market was a promising growth area, but he was not sure of the best way to enter the market. Recently, a top health benefits provider had offered Ovia Health a multi-million-dollar contract, but Wallace wondered whether Ovia Health could create a better family benefits solution by turning down the contract and selling directly to employers’ HR departments. Participants will need to examine how Ovia Health evolved its strategy over time and decide which growth opportunity was the better choice.

Keywords

Entrepreneurship; Growth and Development Strategy; Market Entry and Exit; Health Care and Treatment; Health Industry

Citation

Bussgang, Jeffrey J., and Julia Kelley. "Giving Birth to Ovia Health." Harvard Business School Case 818-004, January 2018. (Revised October 2020.)
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About The Author

Jeffrey J. Bussgang

Entrepreneurial Management
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Related Work

    • March 2020
    • Faculty Research

    Giving Birth to Ovia Health

    By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang and Julia Kelley
    • January 2018 (Revised October 2020)
    • Faculty Research

    Giving Birth to Ovia Health

    By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang and Julia Kelley
Related Work
  • Giving Birth to Ovia Health By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang and Julia Kelley
  • Giving Birth to Ovia Health By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang and Julia Kelley
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