Silicon Valley’s New Family Planning Venture: From Inheritance Risks to Creative Gene Editing

Rising Trends in Genetic Embryo Selection

In Silicon Valley, a new trend in family planning is gaining momentum: prospective parents are leveraging technology to select embryos. Fertility tech startups offer screenings that assess the risks of hereditary diseases, predisposition to certain conditions, and traits such as height and intelligence. The founders of the startup Herasight plan to use the company’s technology themselves. For instance, one of them wishes for his children to be shorter in stature. Another founder, who has a family predisposition to depression, hopes to avoid passing this tendency to future generations.

Investments in IVF Industry Soar

The IVF industry is valued at $28 billion, and investments in women’s health and related startups are increasing. In 2024, they reached $2 billion, marking a 55% rise from 2023. This upward trend shows no sign of waning, continuing into 2025 with projections indicating a steady flow of capital aimed at innovation in reproductive technology.

Ethical Considerations and Future Developments

Despite ethical concerns surrounding gene editing of embryos, which remains prohibited in 70 countries, research in this area persists. Some investors, such as Coinbase co-founder Brian Armstrong, have backed startups focused on embryo editing to minimize hereditary disease risks. According to Stanford law professor Hank Greely, an expert in biomedical technology, it will soon be possible to screen embryos for external characteristics like hair, eye color, and skin tone. However, he notes that influencing complex traits such as intelligence and musical ability remains an area where scientists “know almost nothing.”

Amid fears of turning children into “commercial products,” many parents see embryo screening as a chance to prevent serious illnesses in their future offspring. Cases of disease prevention are becoming increasingly common, driving the industry’s growth. Additionally, embryo screening could reduce the number of miscarriages, as chromosomal anomalies account for about 50% of miscarriages in the first trimester.