Hyderabad: GVK family-backed fertility startup Oval Fertility has launched its first IVF centre in Hyderabad, betting on premium fertility care and advanced embryo monitoring technology as competition intensifies in India’s fast-growing fertility market.
While the venture is backed by the GVK family office, it has been co-founded by US-based fertility specialist Dr Brian Levine and Veena Reddy, the daughter-in-law of GVK’s scion and group vice chairman Sanjay Reddy, with the investment coming entirely from the family office.
The company has introduced Japan-based Astec Chronos, a time-lapse embryo incubation system that allows embryologists to continuously monitor embryo development without removing embryos from incubation conditions.
“The future of fertility care will be shaped by how effectively we combine science, technology and personalised patient experience. Our vision is to redefine fertility care by creating an experience that is as compassionate as it is clinically advanced,” Levine said.
According to Reddy, Levine’s role will be in conducting consultations with patients virtually three times a week alongside the local medical team and visit Hyderabad every six weeks.
The Hyderabad facility has capacity to handle around 100 fertility cycles a month and about 800 cycles annually. Oval said it currently plans to focus on Hyderabad for at least the next year before considering expansion into other cities.
“This first one is our baby. It’s our flagship clinic,” co-founder Reddy said. “At least for the next six to eight months, we are looking at nurturing this baby, see how it has been welcomed, and then look at expansion plans.”
Oval plans to explore a hub-and-spoke model within Hyderabad, before considering an expansion to other metros in the south such as Bengaluru, Chennai, and eventually look to expand to international markets such as the UAE.
Oval is positioning itself as a premium offering in a market dominated by players such as Nova IVF, Indira IVF and Oasis Fertility. The clinic has priced its IVF package starting at Rs 4.9 lakh, significantly above industry averages.
India currently conducts about 100,000 IVF cycles annually despite demand being significantly higher, according to company estimates.
Reddy said the venture marks the GVK family office’s entry into healthcare services, with plans to explore other specialised healthcare segments over time.
