Summary
‍On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell is joined by Tammy Sun, Founder and CEO of Carrot Fertility. Tammy founded Carrot with the mission to provide fertility care for all, inclusive of age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, marital status, and geography. Today, Carrot is the leading global fertility benefits provider for employers with their coverage of millions of people in over 120 countries. Throughout the episode, James and Tammy discuss the historic lack of infertility care, how Carrot Fertility is improving employee health benefits, and the complexities that women founders face.Thanks for tuning in!

‍Show Notes:
‍(1:10) Introduction to Tammy
(2:34) The Frequency and Struggles of Infertility
(4:27) About Carrot Fertility
(5:37) The History and Growth of Carrot Fertility
(7:38) The Scale of Carrot Fertility
(8:31) Tammy’s Journey to Bentonville
(10:18) Lack of Fertility Benefits
(14:28) Funding for Female Founders
(17:05) Navigating Rejection
(19:40) Advice to Other Female Founders
(21:58) Bentonville’s Influence
(26:50) Closing Questions
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‍Links
JAMES BELL‍‍
‍BENTONVILLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT‍‍
TAMMY SUN
CARROT FERTILITY
NATALIE SHEW
ELIZABETH PRENGER
APRIL ROY
FEMHEALTH FOUNDERS

Quotes
“We make it easy for companies to give employees financial and emotional coverage and physical support for every aspect of lifelong fertility healthcare. Starting from before you’re ready to achieve pregnancy through egg freezing and pregnancy itself.” – Tammy Sun, (4:36)

‍“When you think about compensation and benefits, what’s included as part of your healthcare is  really important because if it’s not covered, what happens is you ultimately have to pay for it yourself.” – Tammy Sun, (10:36)

‍“Women already make eighty cents on the dollar. When you think about having to then forgo making an investment in a retirement account or real estate, it actually widens the pay gap because they’re going into their personal accounts to pay for it.” – Tammy Sun, (11:28)

‍“I think for any female founder who is thinking about starting a business, I would encourage them to stick very close to their customer.” – Tammy Sun, (14:53)

‍“If you’re a female founder, building resilience early on and understanding your problem, your solution, and your customer, all you need is one investor to support you.” – Tammy Sun, (17:57)‍‍‍

Making IVF More Accessible with Tammy Sun of Carrot Fertility
‍On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell is joined by Tammy Sun, Founder and CEO of Carrot Fertility. Tammy founded Carrot with the mission to provide fertility care for all, inclusive of age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, marital status, and geography. Today, Carrot is the leading global fertility benefits provider for employers with their coverage of millions of people in over 120 countries. Throughout the episode, James and Tammy discuss the historic lack of infertility care, how Carrot Fertility is improving employee healthcare, and the complexities that women founders face.

‍The History and Effects of Unavailable Infertility Care
‍Historically, IVF goes back roughly forty years in which infertility treatments were not traditionally covered by health insurance. In some ways, IVF was considered a luxury consumer good because only those who could afford to pay for it were allowed access to it. Therefore, with infertility affecting around one in eight opposite-sex couples, the lack of availability of IVF treatments left a vast majority of people helpless when it came to their infertility struggles. 
‍“When you think about compensation and benefits, what’s included as part of your healthcare is  really important because if it’s not covered, what happens is you ultimately have to pay for it yourself.” – Tammy Sun, (10:36)
In America, most citizens receive their healthcare through their employers, which is more than Medicare and Medicaid combined. However, if infertility is not covered by their health benefits, they’re left to pay tens of thousands of dollars out-of-pocket. Unfortunately, this is a number few can afford, and if they ultimately foot the bill, it means large amounts of money are taken away from future endeavors.    
 “Women already make eighty cents on the dollar. When you think about having to then forgo making an investment in a retirement account or real estate, it actually widens the pay gap because they’re going into their personal accounts to pay for it.” – Tammy Sun, (11:28)

‍The Struggles of Obtaining Funding as a Woman Founder
‍At the height of female founders accessing venture capital dollars, only three percent of female founders were able to do so. Currently, that number has dropped back down to two percent. This is a result of structural challenges baked into how capital is distributed and who has access to it. It’s not uncommon for women to be rejected because their business is too niche and because it isn’t something men would engage in or care about.
‍“I think for any female founder who is thinking about starting a business, I would encourage them to stick very close to their customer.” – Tammy Sun, (14:53)
When female founders are told no left and right, it’s more important they focus on seeing if their prospective customers will say yes. Investors may turn them down, but people who need their product or service are saying they can’t wait to get their hands on it. Because of this, female entrepreneurs are more likely to receive funding when they focus on identifying who their target customer is and what solution they’re offering instead of if an investor thinks there’s merit to their idea. 
 “If you’re a female founder, building resilience early on and understanding your problem, your solution, and your customer, all you need is one investor to support you.” – Tammy Sun, (17:57)
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Get Connected!
‍Thanks for tuning in to this episode of The Bentonville Beacon! Join us weekly for more stories from entrepreneurs and business leaders who are making a positive impact on Bentonville’s culture, community, and lifestyle. Don’t forget, Bentonville is a place where you can have more of what you want and less of what you don’t!