Launch HN: Legacy (YC S19) – we help men test and freeze their sperm
Hi everyone,

I'm Khaled Kteily – and I helped found Legacy (https://www.givelegacy.com/). We help men become fathers through sperm testing, sperm improvement, and sperm freezing.

To do this, we built an at-home sperm testing kit. Using our kit and courier services, we receive your semen sample at our labs. From there, we analyze your semen for a variety of parameters, most notably count, volume, concentration, motility, and morphology. This helps you understand your fertility.

If the analysis concludes that your sperm are healthy, we then offer you the option to freeze at rates more competitive than a traditional clinic. If we find low counts or poor motility (the sperm's ability to swim), we'll provide you with lifestyle recommendations based on your analysis and a survey you completed. If necessary, we'll connect you with our urologist on staff or a reputable fertility doctor in your area.

Men often assume they'll have no issue procreating. We also often assume we can have healthy kids at any age. But these assumptions aren't always true. In fact, approximately 1 in 10 men face infertility, as do approximately 1 in 7 couples. In each case, infertility is medically defined as "not being able to conceive within 12 months of actively trying." What's equally important is your ability to produce healthy sperm is not necessarily permanent. Things like testicular cancer, dangerous careers, or serious accidents do happen and as you get older, the quality of your sperm declines each year.

I didn't plan on starting a male fertility company. A few years ago, I had an accident that led to second degree burns on my thighs from some very, very hot tea. At the time, I was just grateful to not have had any permanent damage. But when a friend was diagnosed with cancer and froze his sperm before starting chemotherapy, I decided to proactively freeze my sperm, and that's when I realized just how much the process of testing or freezing your sperm today sucks (I am more than happy to talk details about this!)

My work experience was extremely helpful in starting a company like Legacy. I worked at Oliver Wyman as a Health & Life Sciences consultant, studied public health and public policy at Harvard, met with successful entrepreneurs through the World Economic Forum, and learned a lot at UN Women about how the world thinks about fertility and family planning.

The timing also made sense. In 2017, a major meta-study was released, showing that male fertility had declined 50-60% in the past 40 years. And society is changing! People are older. Couples meet later. They get married later. They try to have kids later. Non-traditional families are much more common than they used to be. Men no longer see themselves as the hands-off breadwinners, but want to be actively involved in raising healthy kids with good values - I know I do.

Even if you don't know whether you want kids, if you've at least thought about having kids one day, we can help you understand your fertility and ensure that you have a strong viable sperm sample for future use. Plus: your sperm quality is a great overall indicator for your health, so you'll get an important insight into how healthy you are today.

I've been part of the HN community ever since I decided to become an entrepreneur, and I really value this community. I'm very much looking forward to hearing your reactions, feedback, and questions, and to hearing your experiences in this space, which is so intimate and important to so many of us.

EDIT: We are operational across the United States, and are actively working on international expansion to Canada, Europe (via Geneva & London), and the Middle East (via Dubai).