InStride Health: Specialty Pediatric Anxiety And OCD Treatment Company Raises $30 Million

InStride Health: Specialty Pediatric Anxiety And OCD Treatment Company Raises $30 Million

InStride Health, an outpatient provider of specialty pediatric anxiety and OCD treatment, announced it closed an oversubscribed $30 million Series B funding round. General Catalyst led the funding round and was joined by previous investors .406 Ventures, Valtruis, Mass General Brigham Ventures, and Hopelab Foundation.


The foundation of InStride Health is based on a decade of work by its co-founders, Mona Potter, MD, and Kathryn Boger, PhD, ABPP, while at McLean Hospital.


This funding round enables InStride Health to continue investing in clinical quality while expanding to new markets. It will also enable InStride Health to deliver on its mission of providing insurance-based access to best-in-class mental health care. With this funding round, the company’s total funding has reached $56 million.


Almost one-third of youth in the US will struggle with an anxiety disorder and/or OCD by the age of 18. And this presents significant life and economic challenges for kids, their families, and the healthcare system. The providers that offer specialty care for these conditions are in short supply, often have more than six-month waitlists, and rarely accept insurance.


InStride Health accepts most major insurance plans in the states it serves and the treatment typically begins within 1 to 4 weeks of application approval–making top-tier care affordable and accessible to more young people in need. The company’s evidence-based care model is grounded in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), with an emphasis on Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP).


The multidisciplinary care teams at InStride Health include a psychiatrist, therapist, and exposure coach, who work together throughout treatment. InStride Health takes care of patients outside the office, helping them build and practice skills in the environments where their fears and anxieties are most present. This real-world approach accelerates learning and builds resilience.


The InStride Health treatment is designed to be time-bound, with each personalized care plan lasting from four months to one year. This approach helps patients and their families manage anxiety and focus on building the habits and self-reliance required for graduation from the program.


Measurement-Based Care (MBC) practices prioritize transparency in outcomes and rely on data-driven treatment decisions. These practices have been shown to produce outcomes equivalent to those achieved in top-ranked academic hospital programs. Patients who receive MBC-based treatment exhibit significant reductions in anxiety, functional impairment, and depression, while their parents experience significant reductions in family accommodation and caregiver strain. These positive effects are observed across the board and are associated with large effect sizes.


KEY QUOTES:


 “General Catalyst is proud to partner with the mission-driven founders of InStride who have dedicated their careers to solving the pediatric mental health crisis.”


– Holly Maloney, Managing Director at General Catalyst


“We believe InStride is at the forefront of helping to democratize accessible, high-quality behavioral health care through its unique clinical model and innovative approach to delivering care, and we look forward to helping them grow.”


– Candace Richardson, partner at General Catalyst


“As a clinician and a parent, I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to take on the broken pediatric mental health system through our work at InStride. We’re solving a complex problem–one that requires a diverse, smart, dedicated team driven by purpose and mission–and that is the team we have been so fortunate to build.”


– Dr. Potter, Chief Medical Officer and co-founder of InStride Health


“InStride’s provision of innovative, evidence-based care and its ability to foster strategic partnerships has allowed us to work efficiently and collaboratively in the treatment of children and adolescents struggling with anxiety and OCD as well as complex medical presentations. I’ve referred many patients to the InStride team because they truly go above and beyond to ensure that all aspects of patient care are addressed, and their unique approach results in excellent patient outcomes and high levels of patient satisfaction.” 


– Manuela Villa, PhD, a referring clinician from Boston Children’s Hospital


“We’re on a mission to help kids, teens, and young adults with anxiety and OCD. We aim to expand our specialty clinical services to provide the same care and accessibility we’d want for our loved ones. Thanks to the dedication of our amazing team, partners, and investors, we are thrilled to continue to expand our supportive ecosystem for the kids and families we serve.”


– John Voith, Co-founder and CEO of InStride Health