Handspring, a startup focused on pediatric mental health, has secured $19 million in Series B funding this week. The company aims to reshape the delivery of mental health care for children by creating a system that tailors treatment intensity to the actual needs of patients rather than solely to availability.<\/p>\n
Sahil Choudhry, CEO of Handspring, emphasized that families face challenges in accessing mental health care for their children on two fronts: availability and quality. He highlighted the lengthy waitlists and the scarcity of providers who accept insurance as significant barriers. However, he noted that quality remains an often-overlooked issue.<\/p>\n
“Even when a child enters therapy, care is not always effective. Clinicians, despite their good intentions, often lack extensive and ongoing training in proven methods such as cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy, and there is little standardization requiring training and proof of competence,” Choudhry explained. “As a result, families wait long periods only to receive care that might not help them, and payers end up financing ineffective treatment.”<\/p>\n
To address these issues, Handspring provides evidence-based care covered by insurance. Choudhry reported that families typically discover the platform through their pediatrician, school counselor, or health plan.<\/p>\n
The startup currently operates with payer presence in nine states: California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Washington.<\/p>\n
During an initial free consultation, Handspring’s intake team verifies insurance coverage and assesses the child’s struggles. They then match the patient with an appropriate therapist and begin care, typically within one week.<\/p>\n
Care is delivered virtually through video sessions from home, starting with a diagnostic process that includes two dedicated assessment sessions with the child and their parents.<\/p>\n
“Each diagnosis is reviewed and discussed with a clinical supervisor. Misdiagnoses are a real and underestimated issue in mental health. A wrong diagnosis leads to an ineffective treatment plan, potentially leaving a child without improvement for months,” Choudhry added.<\/p>\n
Following diagnosis, the child collaborates with their therapist, receiving care that is more “active and skill-based” than simple talk therapy.<\/p>\n
For children suffering from anxiety or OCD, this often involves exposure work to help them gradually and safely confront avoided situations. Other children may require dialectical behavior therapy to manage intense emotions or cognitive behavioral therapy tools that they practice between sessions.<\/p>\n
“The guiding principle is that children leave with concrete skills they can use independently,” Choudhry stated.<\/p>\n
Therapists at Handspring are employed and trained by the company, rather than being independent contractors. Choudhry indicated that Handspring invests in their ongoing development by providing continual training, supporting individual clinical consultations, and forming clinical workgroups.<\/p>\n
“This ensures consistent quality and results, which is evident in the numbers. After their treatment, 93% of families report an improvement in their daily lives,” he remarked.<\/p>\n
Choudhry further explained that Handspring\u2019s ability to address the entire acuity spectrum distinguishes it from other pediatric mental health providers.<\/p>\n
“Most behavioral health issues transition directly from weekly low-acuity therapy to emergency rooms or intensive outpatient programs, which often entail more than 12 hours per week for over 12 weeks, are group-based, and are costly. There is almost nothing in between for children whose depression or anxiety may escalate to self-harm but do not require hospital or emergency care,” he said. “We believe our complex care program fills this ‘missing link.’<\/p>\n
Under this program, patients receive about 3 to 6 hours of outpatient care per week, incorporating cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, parental coaching, and medication management.<\/p>\n
“We can customize each child’s care to their actual needs rather than pushing them toward more intensive, costly options. Many companies focus on a slice of this spectrum; we are designed to support a child as their needs evolve,” Choudhry explained.<\/p>\n
The Series B funding round was led by RPS Ventures, with participation from additional funds, including Angelini Ventures, Cobalt Ventures, NextView Ventures, NVP Capital, Hyde Park Angels, and Cornucopia Capital. Since its founding in 2022, Handspring has raised a total of $37 million.<\/p>\n
As the company grows, it plans to establish more partnerships with payers. Choudhry believes Handspring’s model will be appealing to insurers because it aligns costs with clinical needs.<\/p>\n
“First, our entire model is designed to equip youth with real skills so they can graduate from care rather than remain in therapy indefinitely. Care that concludes when a child improves benefits families and payers alike. Second, because we treat the full range of acuities, we adapt every child to the right level of care instead of automatically resorting to the most intensive and costly option\u2014especially complex care, which keeps youth from incurring expensive emergency visits they do not actually need,” he stated.<\/p>\n
Hands-on tracking of outcomes also allows payers to see that the care is effective, Choudhry added.<\/p>\n
For the New York-based startup, the next step will be demonstrating that this approach can scale without compromising the quality that underpins its services.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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