Interest in male contraception has increased in recent years, particularly since the United States overturned Roe v. Wade, which protected a woman’s right to an abortion. Since then, states have tried to make abortions nearly impossible, which has led to increased use of contraceptives to give both men and women more control over family planning. This conversation turned to the topic of male contraception – something doctors may not yet have fully mastered.
Kevin Eisenfrats is the founder of Contraline, a company that developed contraceptives for men. Einsfrats discussed building this company, medical testing for it, and the medical innovations he had to develop to make all of this possible on TechCrunch’s Found podcast.
“Believe it or not, people have actually been working on contraceptives for men since the birth control pill for women came out in 1960,” Einsfrats told Found. “So it’s not like this is a forgotten area of research. It’s just that the science is really, really difficult.”
Einsfrats was inspired to start his company after watching the MTV show “16 and Pregnant.” Years later, Contraline’s newest product, ADAM, is entering clinical trials in Australia, a country he says has been the most receptive to the idea of male contraception to date. He plans to travel to the US soon and is preparing for the long FDA approval process. So far, Einsfrats hasn’t had a particularly difficult time fundraising – and he says there has been a lot of support despite the political climate in the US, saying the debates have only increased interest in his work.
“We attract a certain type of investor who really thinks long-term,” he continued.
He also talked about the importance of hiring the right team when it comes to a product like this and explained some of the challenges of being a founder of a medical startup. For him in particular, there were regulatory hurdles, fundraising, and testing the medical hypothesis before landing on the right hypothesis.
All the challenges have strengthened him and his team, he said, hinting that he wants to expand into Europe and other markets one day. He also talked about potentially exploring ways to use his technology to develop non-hormonal contraceptives for women and address other types of reproductive health issues that remain unresolved.
“We want to address these major unsolved issues in reproductive health,” he said. “We are willing to take risks that others are unwilling to take.”