About Upsidian
Everyone deserves someone in their corner.
Our mission
Care happens in visits. Pregnancy happens every day.
Prenatal appointments come every few weeks and last minutes. The questions, worries, and decisions don't wait for the next one. Most families carry them alone, figuring out what's normal, what to ask, and where to turn.
Upsidian exists to fill that gap. We pair families with a trusted doula and the tools to navigate pregnancy, birth, and postpartum, so support doesn't stop when the appointment ends.
Our mission: make continuous, culturally grounded support and advocacy a standard part of maternal care, for every family.
Our story
I know this story because I lived it.
In 2024, someone in my family spent two weeks at one of the best hospitals in the country. For four days, nobody called. The release form got lost. Three times.
I'm a doctor. I knew the questions. I knew when to push. And it was still this hard.
So I kept asking: what about everybody else?
That's why I started Upsidian. We started with pregnancy, because that's where doulas already show up for families.
— Dr. Yaneve Fonge, Founder and CEO
Watch on InstagramWhat we stand on
Three pillars.
Education
Pregnancy comes with new words and big choices. We explain them in plain language, so you know your options before anyone asks you to pick. Your doula helps you turn what you learn into questions for your next appointment.
Advocacy
A doula who knows your culture and has your back, from the first visit to the fourth trimester. She helps you speak up, ask the hard questions, and feel ready to make your own decisions.
Community
Doula work can be lonely. Upsidian brings birth workers together through circles, workshops, and events, so you have people who get it, share what works, and have each other's backs.
Our founders
Built by a doctor and a doula.
Dr. Yaneve Fonge, MD, MPH
Founder and CEO
A maternal-fetal medicine physician who cares for high-risk pregnancies in Minneapolis. She has spent her career inside the systems families are asked to navigate, and is building the advocacy they deserve within them.
Kolenge Fonge
Co-founder and CXO
Kolenge came to birth work through healing spaces, after years of social justice work. She trained as a doula and co-built Upsidian with doulas at the table, so the platform works the way birth workers actually work. She believes every family deserves someone in their corner.
Why Upsidian
Built for trust. Designed for real life.
It's professional.
Every Upsidian doula is trained, background-checked, and has their credentials verified. Support you can trust, online or in person.
It's accessible.
Covered by Minnesota Medical Assistance. Private insurance accepted, or pay on your own with a package you can customize.
It's convenient.
Meet on video, book visits, and message your doula, all in one place.
It's trusted and effective.
Research links doula support to lower cesarean rates and better birth experiences.