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The platform uses the same AI-powered applicant- screening technology used by life insurance companies to assess surrogate candidates, including social media analysis, public records, and financial data. Nodal claims the efficiency of that process allows the company to increase the supply of surrogates.
Much of the media and film dealing with surrogacy focuses on traditional partnerships, in which the mother’s egg plays a role in fertilization. Nodal arranges gestational surrogacy relationships, which use eggs from other sources. The pregnancy is created from the intended parents’ sperm and egg or a donor embryo and implanted in the surrogate via in vitro fertilization. Once the baby is born, parental rights are assigned to the intended parents. These arrangements are legal in 48 of the 50 states. Nodal launched 2 1/2 years ago and claims to have matched 108 parents with surrogates. The company has raised $8.7 million in venture
Prospective parents pay Nodal $500 monthly to create and post a profile and $15,000 to complete a match. The company also can provide a case manager for an additional $10,000. As expensive as that is, it is a bargain compared with the $100,000– $200,000 prospective parents usually spend through traditional intermediary companies. The average waiting time is 45 days, compared with the 9–18 months required to make matches using traditional methods. Levine also partners with fertility benefit companies, including Carrot, Maven, and Progyny, to arrange fertility care at reduced costs.
funding and is expanding its partnerships with fertility clinics to increase referrals. “We have saved our intended parents over $5 million in fees,” Levine told TechCrunch in a recent article. “You can have a baby on the Nodal platform before you get off the waitlist at a Nodal competitor.”
HAVE A Laugh
MONSTERS LOST TO TIME Weird, Wild, and Once Feared History is full of strange creatures. Some may not haunt our imaginations today, but their stories provide a fascinating glimpse into the fears of the past. Bycorne The Bycorne was a cow-like beast with a human face that thrived on “patient husbands” for food. His spouse, Chichevache, ate patient wives but was always lean. The Bycorne’s legacy reflects how folklore blended humor and fear with cultural commentary. Lamia In Greek mythology, Lamia was a beautiful queen who became a child-devouring monster. Her name later became synonymous with witches and female demons.
Snallygaster A reptilian-winged beast, the Snallygaster emerged in early 20th-century American folklore, inspiring public hysteria before fading into obscurity. However, its name survives in “snollygoster,” a term for an unprincipled person. Though these monsters vanished from everyday discussions, their stories remind us that legends and the words used to describe them are constantly evolving.
jwyatt@harrisonlawgroup.com | HarrisonLawGroup.com | 3
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