Student Spotlight: Ijeoma Uche, Co-Founder of Birth By Us – The Wallace Center for Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health

In January 2023, Ijeoma Uche (Berkeley MPH ‘23) and Executive Director Lindsay Parham attended the Future of Maternal Health conference where Ijeoma was chosen to pitch her app Birth By Us to a group of investors, innovators and change-makers in the maternal health tech space. The Wallace Center has been thrilled to support Birth By Us since summer of ‘22, when Ijeoma, the co-founder of Birth By Us worked closely with Wallace Center Board member Jaspal Sandhu and ED Lindsay Parham to develop the app and build out the team. Birth By Us is a new app in the black maternal health space that aims to support black birthing people and reduce disparities in black maternal health outcomes. Things have really taken off for BBU since then! In just the past year, BBU:

Was one of only three companies selected to pitch at the Future of Maternal Health conference in San Francisco.
Was selected from 1,300 applicants to participate in in UCBerkeley’s Skydeck Pad-13 Incubator
Won the Haas Healthcare Conference Startup Pitch Competition at UC Berkeley, where only eight out of a competitive pool of 27 Bay Area startup companies were selected to pitch.

In Her Own Words: Ijeoma Uche

As the co-founder of Birth By Us, I am filled with gratitude for the success and progress we have achieved this year. This semester has been especially rewarding as we’ve had the opportunity to pitch our pregnancy and postpartum app for women of color, Birth By Us, to various esteemed panels.

Being one of only three companies selected to pitch at the Future of Maternal Health conference was an incredible honor. It was inspiring to be among renowned maternal health leaders and have meaningful discussions on achieving equitable maternal care. Our participation in UCBerkeley’s Skydeck Pad-13 Incubator was also a significant milestone, as we were selected from 1,300 applicants and had access to a wider selection of world-class mentors and resources.

It was also truly humbling to win the Haas Healthcare Conference Startup Pitch Competition at UC Berkeley, where only eight out of a competitive pool of 27 Bay Area startup companies were selected to pitch. Our startup also achieved noteworthy accomplishments by being chosen as a finalist in the MIT Solve Innovation competition, competing against 831 applicants from 90 different countries, and in UC Berkeley’s Big Ideas Contest.

We owe our success to the support of our mentors, Jaspal Sandhu, Aditya SV (Adi), Tim Meyer, Ar Ducao, and the Wallace Center for Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, as well as the esteemed judges from prestigious organizations who shared our vision of improving health outcomes and creating a more equitable birthing experience for women of color.

As I reflect on this year’s progress, I’m filled with hope and optimism for the future of Birth By Us. We’re committed to creating solutions that promote equity in maternal healthcare, and we’re excited about the potential impact we can make in the maternal healthcare industry. We are excited to move forward on our journey and strive for even greater achievements as we continue to progress.