Yuzi Appoints Steven Hooper Jr. as Strategic Advisor

PRESS RELEASE

JANUARY 30, 2024 — SEATTLE —Yuzi (www.yuzicare.com), a wellness tech company on a mission to reimagine the maternal care experiences for mothers, families, and caregivers, announces today it has appointed Steven Hooper Jr. as its newest strategic advisor.

The appointment took effect on January 30, 2024.

Postnatal care in the U.S. is facing unprecedented challenges. NHLBI reported last year that the maternal mortality rate has doubled in the past decade and the increasing geographic dispersion of families underscore the urgent demand for comprehensive support. By building a tech-enabled experience that combines a network of luxury accommodations, care providers, nutritionists and more, Yuzi provides new mothers with a reimagined maternal care experience that offers 24/7, hands-on support during the time they need it the most: in their child’s first month of life and beyond. Yuzi is unique in that it doesn't just want to be part of the maternal journey in the fourth trimester, the period immediately after birth, but for the first couple of years post-pregnancy to help navigate the transition into parenthood.

“In America, when you are pregnant, you are on a pedestal, after you give birth, you are invisible,” says Stephiney Foley, the CEO of Yuzi. “We want to redefine the maternal experience, drawing global inspiration from Denmark/Netherlands’ Kraamzorg, Korea’s Sanhujuri, China/Taiwan’s Yuezi, and beyond. Yuzi recognizes the urgent need for mothers to be cared for during the most daunting and exhausting period of a woman’s life. Yuzi's solution revolves around three pillars of Care, Confidence, and Community. By offering a holistic approach, Yuzi aims to provide a singular destination for accessing care, parenting support, and building a supportive community.”

Steven Hooper Jr. brings over 22 years of hospitality industry expertise to Yuzi. His track record includes launching, scaling, and exiting ventures in the Pacific Northwest region, which will be critical for Yuzi’s growth in the early days in launching and scaling. Currently serving as the President of Financial Services for TipHaus, a Restaurant SaaS company specializing in fully automating tip dispersion, Steven also holds influential roles on the boards of organizations such as the United Way of King County, Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, Washington Hospitality Association, Pike Brewing Co, and served as the President of Seattle Restaurant Alliance. Steven's educational background includes an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and a BA from Colby College, where he graduated Cum Laude with distinction in Economics, and a Baker Scholar. A proud Seattle native and devoted father to three children, Steven resides with his wife in Seattle, bringing a personal commitment to the mission of Yuzi.

“This is such a critical problem that the Yuzi team is tackling and Stephiney has built a lean and mighty team to take this all the way! Yuzi provides a great opportunity for hotels to 1) increase their occupancy rates through Yuzi reservations and 2.) create loyal and repeating customers; after all, what holds more emotional significance for parents than the place they began to first become a family? I am excited to join the Yuzi team and bring Steph’s vision of revolutionizing postpartum care in the U.S. to life,” says Hooper.

Mothers can check in to the Yuzi resort after they are cleared from the hospital with their baby and partner. Yuzi offers 24/7 care for both baby and mom for the duration of the stay to include nutritious meals, child care education, wellness programming and lactation support. Yuzi is accepting reservations on their waitlist with an anticipated opening of May 1st, 2024 in Seattle. Please visit www.yuzicare.com for more information.

About Yuzi

Yuzi is a multi-channel wellness platform company on a mission to reimagine the maternal care experience. Our vision is to build the world's largest maternal care network and the most advanced care platform, revolutionizing how society cares for mothers, their families, and care professionals. Yuzi believes that mothers and parents deserve better. We are launching our first in-person postpartum care retreat with a tech-enabled experience on May '24 with our first location in Seattle and subsequent locations as fast follows.

www.yuzicare.com

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