Maila Health

About Us

The birth of Maila Health

Pregnancy can be great until it suddenly isn’t. Complications, a new diagnosis, or even the absence of a diagnosis can make pregnancy stressful. Dr. Samantha Lattof knows this firsthand. Her own pregnancies were complicated by hyperemesis gravidarum (a debilitating condition that can cause dehydration, malnutrition, weight loss, and long-term complications in both mother and baby due to extreme nausea and vomiting).

From her work as a global maternal health researcher, Dr. Lattof was very aware of shortcomings in the quality of care. Some doctors weren’t aware of the latest medications for her condition, and others relied on techniques that had been disproven in recent years. Dr. Lattof observed a need to improve the speed at which the latest research is translated into practice. She also saw numerous opportunities to more effectively utilize existing technologies to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes. 

Following the birth of her second daughter in 2020, Dr. Lattof recruited Philip Meier, an experienced software developer, to start developing a prototype for Maila Health. The team then joined up with Catarina Pires, a biomedical engineer specializing in machine learning. Prof. Dr. Martin Gersch and Prof. Dr. Tim Conrad at Freie University of Berlin round out the team as mentors. 

In September 2021, Maila Health secured an EXIST Business Start-up Grant at Freie University of Berlin’s Profund Innovation. In September 2022, Maila Health joined the K.I.E.Z. (Artificial Intelligence Entrepreneurship Center) accelerator for science-based AI startups.

Maila Health GmbH has received support from K.I.E.Z., the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, and the European Social Fund as part of the EXIST program.