E96 Adrianne Nickerson: From Cancer Care to Oula’s Maternity Revolution

Join us as Adrianne Nickerson, a healthcare innovator and founder of Oula, shares her inspiring journey from co-founding a cancer support startup to revolutionizing maternity care for women across the U.S. With a data-driven passion and a knack for building community, Adrianne offers a fresh perspective on transforming a broken system into a warm, evidence-based experience,starting with her own life-changing birth story. In this episode, Adrianne dives into creating Oula, a maternity care company blending midwifery and obstetrics, now expanding from New York to Connecticut. She reveals how patient feedback scrapped birth centers for hospital partnerships, why systemic barriers hold back better care, and how she’s raised $50 million to scale a profitable model. Whether you’re a healthcare enthusiast, entrepreneur, or parent-to-be, Adrianne’s story blends grit, insight, and a mission to rewrite the maternity narrative. 🔑 KEY HIGHLIGHTS FROM CANCER SUPPORT TO MATERNITY REVOLUTION Adrianne Nickerson traces her path from co-founding RobinCare for cancer patients to launching Oula, inspired by the transformative power of quarterback providers in life- altering health journeys. BIRTH AS A BEAUTIFUL BALLET Hear Adrianne recount her son Logan’s birth at Oula,a seamless, evidence-based experience with doulas, hydrotherapy, and skin-to-skin care,proving maternity can be joyful, not just scary. REBUILDING CARE FROM THE GROUND UP Discover how lessons from RobinCare led Adrianne to make Oula the provider, not just a wraparound, integrating midwifery and obstetrics to tackle maternity holistically. PIVOTING WITH PATIENT VOICES Adrianne explains scrapping birth centers after patients preferred Oula’s hospital-based hybrid model,balancing safety with a human touch,shaping a scalable business. UNWINDING A PHYSICIAN-CENTRIC SYSTEM Learn why the U.S. lags in midwifery care (10% vs. Europe’s 80%), rooted in historical racism and training gaps, and how Oula’s partnerships with Mount Sinai and Stamford Health fight back. FUNDRAISING THROUGH UNCERTAINTY Adrianne shares raising $50 million across tough markets,April 2020 and late 2024,proving positive unit economics and a solid business model trump trendy tech hype. RESOURCES & LINKS Learn More About Oula: oulahealth.com Connect with Adrianne Nickerson on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/adriannenickerson/ Podcast Website: foundersecretspod.com FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA Instagram: @foundersecretspod TikTok: @foundersecrets Twitter: @founder_secrets LinkedIn: Founder Secrets Podcast 🎧 LISTEN TO THE PODCAST Apple Podcasts: tinyurl.com/4h59tyer Spotify: tinyurl.com/4wjb26v8 ⚡ SPONSORED BY DASH Simplify your success with Dash! From CRM management to social media, bookkeeping, and more, Dash provides top-tier remote talent solutions so you can focus on growing your business. Learn more: hirewithdash.com 🔔 DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE! Enjoyed this episode? LIKE, COMMENT, and SUBSCRIBE for more inspiring conversations with world-changing founders.