Surrogate Steps

What Surrogate Steps does

Surrogate Steps is a licensed, attorney-directed surrogacy agency headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, founded in 2013 by reproductive attorney Yifat Shaltiel, Esq. The agency matches intended parents with rigorously screened gestational carriers and coordinates the end-to-end surrogacy journey over a 15-18 month period, encompassing surrogate screening, legal contract drafting, parentage establishment, escrow management, medical coordination with partner fertility clinics, and one-on-one journey coordination. Customer-facing deliverables are services rather than technology; the company operates no proprietary platform, no mobile application, no public API, and no AI/ML systems, relying instead on direct human coordination by a small team whose members have personal surrogacy or IVF experience.

The core product offering is a professional-services engagement priced within a total journey cost band of $75,000 to $150,000 per intended parent, of which the agency fee is the principal revenue capture. Surrogates are compensated on a separate schedule beginning at a $40,000 base plus milestone bonuses, with disclosed total compensation typically ranging $45,000-$70,000. Secondary product lines include an online educational course, a founder-authored book on surrogacy cost reduction, an interactive 50-state surrogacy-law resource, a nationwide reproductive attorney directory, and an affiliate referral program paying $2,000-$3,000 per qualified surrogate plus milestone and cultural-match bonuses.

The company serves two primary customer segments in a two-sided market: intended parents (individuals and couples facing infertility, medical barriers to pregnancy, or LGBTQ+ family building, including international parents as indicated by an eight-language website) and gestational carriers (women in US states where compensated surrogacy is legally permitted, explicitly excluding Louisiana, Nebraska, and Michigan). Go-to-market is sales-led and inside-sales-driven, with free 30-minute consultations, website lead capture, and reciprocal referrals from dozens of US fertility clinics. The agency is founder-owned, privately held, and has no disclosed institutional funding, parent company, or acquisition history.

Name

Surrogate Steps

Legal name

Surrogate Steps, LLC

Website

https://surrogatesteps.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Surrogate Steps is a licensed, attorney-directed Bethesda-based surrogacy agency that matches intended parents with screened gestational carriers and coordinates the full 15-18 month journey including legal, medical, and escrow services for individuals, couples, and LGBTQ+ families across the United States and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Surrogacy Agency Services

NAICS

Family Planning Centers (62141), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Family Planning & Contraception (Including Abortion Care) (HLAKAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Obstetrics & Gynecology (OB/GYN) Clinics (HLAFAJAA)

Keywords

• Gestational surrogacy
• Surrogacy agency
• Surrogate matching
• Reproductive law services
• Family building services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bethesda

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Agency Service Fees (Intended Parents): Surrogate Steps charges fees to intended parents for matching with gestational carriers, surrogate coordination, legal facilitation, escrow management, and ongoing support throughout the surrogacy journey. The total surrogacy cost ranges approximately $75,000-$150,000 for intended parents. The agency fee structure covers the comprehensive service package from matching through delivery.
2. Affiliate Referral Program: Surrogate Steps operates an affiliate program where partners earn $2,000-$3,000 per qualified surrogate referral, plus annual milestone bonuses and cultural match bonuses. No cap on earnings. Commissions paid within 30 days of milestone achievement (embryo transfer clearance, pregnancy confirmation, etc.).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Surrogate Steps is a licensed gestational surrogacy agency that matches intended parents with rigorously screened gestational carriers and coordinates the full 15-18 month journey, including ASRM-standard screening, legal contract drafting and parentage establishment, escrow management, and one-on-one coordinator support. The agency is attorney-directed by reproductive attorney and founder Yifat Shaltiel, Esq., and offers free 30-minute intended parent consultations. Surrogates are recruited, screened, and compensated on a tiered milestone-based schedule starting at $40,000 base, typically earning $45,000-$70,000+ total.

Product overview

Surrogate Steps is a licensed surrogacy agency offering a comprehensive suite of services for gestational surrogacy. The core offering is the agency service that matches intended parents with rigorously screened gestational carriers, supported by legal services led by founder Yifat Shaltiel (a reproductive attorney), free consultations, and escrow management. Additional products include an online surrogacy course, an affiliate referral program, a state-by-state surrogacy law resource, and an educational book on saving money on surrogacy. The company also provides extensive testimonial content through parent and surrogate story pages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Surrogacy Agency Services Full-service licensed gestational surrogacy agency that matches intended parents with rigorously screened gestational carriers and coordinates the complete 15-18 month journey, including ASRM-standard screening, legal contract drafting and parentage establishment, escrow management, and one-on-one coordinator support. For individuals, couples, LGBTQ+ families, and single parents seeking to build families through gestational surrogacy in the United States (excluding Louisiana, Nebraska, and Michigan).
• Surrogacy Course Online educational course for intended parents covering the surrogacy process, costs, and guidance through the journey. Hosted at courses.surrogatesteps.com.
• Save Money on Surrogacy Book Book authored by founder Yifat Shaltiel, Esq., titled 'Save Money on Surrogacy: How to Save $100,000+ on Surrogacy in the United States,' providing intended parents with guidance on reducing surrogacy costs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% success rate at bringing home a baby
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Women's Bar Association of the State of New YorkminorOthersAffiliation with Women's Bar Association of the State of New York, indicating professional legal network connections in reproductive law.
• American Bar AssociationminorOthersAffiliation with American Bar Association, indicating professional standards and legal community standing.
• Seed EthicsminorOthersAffiliation with Seed Ethics organization, indicating commitment to ethical standards in fertility services.
• Top Fertility ClinicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrusted and referred to by dozens of top fertility clinics across the United States. Maintains network of connections to fertility clinics for medical screening and embryo transfer procedures.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Growing Generations: Established US surrogacy and egg donation agency serving intended parents and surrogates globally. Directly comparable in service scope, including matching, legal support, and journey coordination, with a longer operating history.
• ConceiveAbilities: Full-service surrogacy and egg donor agency offering gestational carrier matching, case management, and legal facilitation. Direct competitor in the same product category and customer base.
• West Coast Surrogacy: California-based surrogacy agency offering traditional and gestational carrier matching, legal services, and full journey management. Comparable California-anchored, full-service agency model.
• Circle Surrogacy: One of the largest US surrogacy agencies offering full-service gestational carrier matching, legal coordination, and journey support. Highly comparable to Surrogate Steps in service model, target customers, and end-to-end agency offering.
• Simple Surrogacy: Texas-based surrogacy and egg donation agency providing matching, legal coordination, and case management. Direct competitor serving US intended parents with similar service offerings.
• Brilliant Beginnings: Full-service surrogacy agency focusing on gestational surrogacy with personalized matching, legal, and journey support. Comparable boutique agency model with similar target customers.
• California Surrogacy Center: Surrogacy agency based in California offering gestational carrier programs with legal and escrow support. Directly comparable agency model serving intended parents across the US.
• Sensible Surrogacy: US-based surrogacy agency with international IP focus, offering matching and legal coordination. Comparable agency offering with international intended parent capability overlap.
• Egg Donor & Surrogacy Solutions (EDS): US-based agency providing both egg donor and gestational surrogacy matching with complete journey coordination. Operates with a similar agency model and intended parent client base.

Emerging players

• Cofertility: Modern fertility platform extending into egg freezing and beginning to approach surrogacy support, with a tech-forward, brand-led positioning. Comparable in family-building mission but more digitally native and emerging rather than established.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/surrogatesteps
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/surrogatesteps
• Facebookfacebook.com/SurrogateSteps
• Instagraminstagram.com/surrogatesteps/?hl=en
• TikToktiktok.com/@surrogatesteps
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/about

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Surrogate Steps