Startup by Alumna Lily Elsner Launches New Product Making Male Fertility Testing More Accessible

Pembroke alumna, Lily Elsner (2019, MBA), and her co-founder, Nick Shipley, recently celebrated the launch of their startup’s flagship product, the Jackit™, at the Oxfordshire Life Sciences Innovation Showcase at the House of Lords. Jackit is a postal sperm test that allows men to collect a sample at home and post it to their Oxford laboratory, making clinically meaningful male fertility testing and optimisation much easier to access. It is now available across the UK.

Lily and her team started Jack Fertility believing fertility care to be remarkably unequal between men and women. “Male factors contribute to around half of infertility cases,” shared Lily, “yet men are often only tested late in the fertility journey, while the physical and emotional burden of investigation falls disproportionately on women.” Lily wanted to change that by making checking sperm health simple, convenient and something men can do proactively, to prevent IVF and improve reproductive health for all.

“I’m particularly proud that, as an Oxford-based company, Jack Fertility can now serve people across Great Britain - from London to rural and remote communities in England, Scotland and Wales - without requiring someone to travel to a clinic simply to get an initial picture of their sperm health,” shared Lily. 

Lily studied for her MBA at Saïd Business School as a member of Pembroke College. Her founder journey with Jack Fertility began from a desire to build a company at the intersection of healthcare, science and technology that would break down barriers around taboo issues. “Using best practices in consumer-centric human design at the cutting edge of reproductive healthcare, Oxford has been a huge part of that journey,” she shared. 

“Pembroke has continued to be a part of Jack’s story through the students who have worked with us over the past three years, while providing a welcome support and haven from the stresses of building a company,” Lily reflected. “I have enjoyed both serving as an Alumni Ambassador and getting to know the many amazing alumni around the world, as well as continuing to support PCBC as a coach and fierce cheerleader.”

“It feels particularly special to now be able to say that something which started as an early-stage idea in Oxford is live and available to people across the country.”

Many congratulations to Lily on her journey making fertility testing more equal and accessible.