Health IT startup Cognoa has joined forces with SAP, a software company, to address developmental growth in children.
Through the partnership, SAP employees will be able to use Cognoa’s app to screen their children for developmental delays. Parents can screen for delays in language, speech, cognitive abilities and behavior in kids as young as 18 months. They can also use the app to pinpoint early signs of autism and ADHD. The SAP employees can then share any information with their child’s pediatrician.
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“We can help that parent identify whether that kid is on track,” Cognoa co-founder and CEO Brent Vaughan said in a phone interview this spring.
Additionally, Cognoa users can track their kid’s progress and get research-based activities to help encourage developmental growth.
“There’s a tremendous sense of reassurance and relief that comes with parents knowing they are informed and equipped with clinically-backed resources to support them and the healthy development of their children every day,” Jason Russell, total rewards director at SAP North America, noted in a news release.
The Palo Alto, California company was created in late 2013 by Vaughan and Dennis Wall. Its artificial intelligence-based approach was developed at Harvard’s and Stanford’s medical schools. The company’s initial focus was on screening for autism, and that remains its number one product today, Vaughan said.
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Unfortunately, many children are not diagnosed with autism at a young enough age, which means they miss the window of time when therapy would have the greatest impact.
“It really kind of kills me when I have a patient come into my office and they’re five years old and have not been diagnosed with autism,” Dr. Sharief Taraman, vice president of medical at Cognoa, said in a phone interview. “To me, this is a huge disservice. This happens all over the country and all over the world.”
The startup’s aim is thus to ensure kids can get an accurate diagnosis as early as possible.
On the road to reaching that goal, the FDA recently recognized Cognoa’s software as a Class II diagnostic medical device for autism. Vaughan said the company began its initial discussions with the FDA at the beginning of 2017. Looking ahead, it plans on submitting its approach to the agency for full clearance.
Its other intentions moving forward include continuing to build its team and advance its algorithms, Vaughan noted.
Earlier this year, Cognoa raised $11.6 million. Private equity and venture capital firm Morningside, which is an existing investor, provided the funding. The company has raised more than $20 million to date.
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