What if having a child became less about biology and more about data?

Fez – A quiet revolution is unfolding in the polished dining rooms of San Francisco, where tech ambition often meets personal aspiration. It’s not about apps or algorithms, but embryos.

A new wave of fertility startups is changing how a certain class of people approaches reproduction. 

For some of the world’s wealthiest and most tech-savvy parents-to-be, having a child is no longer just a biological event, it’s becoming a project. 

One company in particular, Orchid, is leading this shift, offering genetic screening for embryos that promises to assess risks for thousands of potential diseases before pregnancy even begins.

This isn’t science fiction. It’s science with a business model.

According to The Washington Post , the technology behind Orchid allows for a full genetic report using just five embryonic cells. 

In theory, this lets prospective parents weigh the likelihood of future conditions like cancer, schizophrenia, or Alzheimer’s, long before a child is born.

The company’s founder, Noor Siddiqui, sees this as a natural next step: making reproductive decisions based on data, not just hope.

But the service isn’t for everyone, literally. A single embryo screening costs $2,500, and IVF cycles can run upwards of $20,000. 

In practice, this technology isn’t reshaping reproduction for the masses. It’s tailoring it for the elite.

Critics call it a slippery slope toward designer babies. Supporters argue it’s just responsible parenting. Siddiqui herself is a vocal advocate, openly planning to have multiple children using embryos screened by her company. For her, it’s not theoretical, it’s personal.

While the science sounds impressive, the debate around it is far from settled. Some geneticists are wary of drawing sweeping conclusions from such a small number of cells. 

The technology relies on amplifying genetic material, a process that can introduce errors. One Stanford expert even compared it to a game of Russian roulette: high-stakes and uncertain.

Still, not everyone is hesitant. Orchid’s backers include some of the most influential names in tech and biotech, who see the company’s work not just as a medical service but as a step toward a new cultural norm: intentional, optimized parenthood.

The trend fits within a broader movement known as pronatalism, a growing push to encourage higher birth rates in wealthy societies. 

For some, it’s about preserving civilization. For others, it’s about building better humans. Either way,  the future of family planning is no longer just about when to have kids, but how to have them.

And the market is already responding. Investors are betting that more people will want control over what was once left to nature. 

In March, the first baby screened with Orchid’s technology was born. Her name is Astra Meridian, a name that sounds like it belongs to the future.