She founded fertility e-commerce startupNatalistin 2019 and egg freezing and donation startupCofertilityin 2022.
She bet early on several fertility startups likeunicorn Kindbodyandhealthcare provider Tia.
She espousedradical transparencyabout her previous struggles to have a child.
While she raised funding to help other people get pregnant, though, Tecco’s battles with infertility continued.
She suffered eleven miscarriages, including losing twins at 17 weeks pregnant.
Now, she’s taking a huge step back from the industry she helped cement.
“People expect me to continue that narrative.
“I’m not trying to be an infertility influencer.”
Behind closed doors, her dogged optimism clashed with grief and frustration.
Her therapist told her, “This is you getting PTSD treatment while still at war.”
Today, Tecco is done making new fertility bets.
She’s writing a book about what to expect when innovating in healthcare.
She’ll continue to support the women’s health companies she’s invested in.
But as far as she’s concerned, the fertility-centered chapter of her life is closed.
“I’m a healthcare investor, not a fertility investor.
And I want to get back to that,” she said.
“There’s so much money in healthcare, and such a big opportunity to improve healthcare.
Why is nobody building fun, useful things over here?”
Those dismissals only strengthened Tecco’s resolve.
“I made the promise that I will never be the cranky old guard.
There’s no use in it,” Tecco said.
“We need as many smart people helping us solve these problems as possible.”
She’d set her eyes on her next goal: building a family.
Tecco’s son was born through IVF in 2017 after four years of trying.
Getting pregnant a second time proved even more difficult.
Tecco endured multiple unsuccessful rounds of IVF and eleven miscarriages, over nearly five years.
Throwing herself into her work did little to help her escape the heartbreak.
She wrestled with jealousy over other people’s “miracle babies” as she waited desperately for her own.
She paused fertility treatments in the summer of 2022 to spend time with her family.
It meant making peace with the idea that she never would.
Now 41 years old, she wants to get back to that.
But, true to form, Tecco is juggling multiple other ventures as she writes.
And Rock Health is “still running Halle’s game plan,” Gross said.
Makler and Gross both called Tecco’s ambition “relentless.”
“If Halle has conviction in something, she does not look back,” Makler said.
Tecco doesn’t regret the many years she spent speaking out about infertility.
“I don’t want to add anything, but I wouldn’t want to take anything away.
It is still such an important part of my story,” she said.
