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April 20, 2020

Yale health startup gets seed financing

By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo

MindNest Health, a digital health start-up which seeks to help families of children with health conditions such as autism, has secured $300,000 in seed financing. 

The company, a Yale University spinoff, uses a digital parent training program to teach parents to use the same tactics experts use to improve a child’s behavior. In addition to autism, it offers programming specific to tantrums and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It is also expanding to help parents of children who have anxiety and who are engaged in substance abuse.

Lauren Belliveau, CEO of MindNest Health, said the company is grateful for the financial support. The company originated in New Haven, and she said the plan is to continue growing it here. MindNest Health will use the money to move its digital parent training program forward to the beta testing phase, according to an announcement.

“These funds will allow MindNest to advance this platform towards commercialization,” Belliveau said.

David Grodberg, MD, medical director of the Yale Child Study Center, founded the company in 2016. 

Child psychologists and psychiatrists from the center have been directly involved in designing the training platform. 

NeuroNetworks Fund, a 501(c)(3) venture fund focused on investing in treatments for autism, epilepsy and schizophrenia, led the financing round. Connecticut Innovations, the strategic venture-capital arm for the state of Connecticut, also contributed.

Sandra Panem, founder and president of NeuroNetworks Fund, said its goal is to leverage its team’s experience in health-care investing to “identify and fund promising, near-term and practical solutions for people living with autism, epilepsy and schizophrenia.”

According to MindNest Health, early intervention is key for children with disorders such as autism and ADHD, but it can be difficult to get much-needed care if there isn’t a behavioral health center nearby. The coronavirus pandemic has made it even more difficult to get access to health services, which the company indicated has increased the need for a digital health solution. In addition to training, parents can get personalized coaching through MindNest Health.

John Puziss, director of business development for the Yale University Office of Cooperative Research (OCR), will become a member of MindNest’s board of directors.

“I’m excited about MindNest’s approach to help children and families living with autism and other behavioral challenges,” Puziss said.

Contact Michelle Tuccitto Sullo at msullo@newhavenbiz.com.

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