Pediatric behavioral care platform Brightline has brought in $20 million in Series A funding. Threshold Ventures and prior backer Oak HC/FT headed the raise, which also included Blue Shield of California, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Boston Children’s Hospital, SemperVirens VC, Rock Health and City Light Capital.

WHAT IT DOES

The Palo Alto, California-based startup formerly known as Emilio offers a virtual platform that connects children with behavioral health needs to live clinicians and clinical social workers. Among the services Brightline delivers are behavior therapy, adolescent psychiatry and medication support. According to the company's website, speech language-therapy and occupational therapy services are slated for the future as well.

Supporting the virtual sessions are a slew of digital support tools. Through the Brightline app, parents have access to educational materials, progress tracking, interactive exercises and the option to message a coach when needed.

Brightline's platform recently launched ahead of schedule within the state of California, and plans to expand to additional states in the future.

WHAT IT'S FOR

The startup said that it is looking to improve its technology platform, and to build out its telehealth capabilities and the number of treatment programs. It will also be making new hires.

“We need behavioral health and developmental support for kids and their families more than ever,” Naomi Allen, Brightline CEO and cofounder (and formerly chief growth officer at Livongo), said in a statement. “Bringing strong new investors and strategic partners into the Brightline family allows us to continue innovating on our breakthrough model of integrated clinical teams, coaching support for parents, and care through telehealth and our mobile app for families when they need it most."

MARKET SNAPSHOT

Outside of live counseling, the digital health sector has its fair share of tools to support children with behavioral or developmental needs. Some of the bigger names here are Cognoa, which provides a pediatric development monitoring and diagnostic app, and Akili's FDA-approved digital therapeutic for treatment of adolescent ADHD symptoms.

ON THE RECORD

“Brightline’s highly evidence-based model, combined with robust behavioral healthcare teams and both virtual & in-person options, will undoubtedly help provide high-quality, standardized, and accessible  behavioral healthcare for kids across the U.S.," Sarah Lindenauer, director of Boston Children's Hospital's Innovation & Digital Health Accelerator, told MobiHealthNews. “We couldn’t be more excited to invest in and partner with Brightline to help scale these services during a particularly challenging time for families.”