Coral Care, a platform for in-home pediatric therapy, raised $13 million in Series A funding to support its nationwide expansion, the company announced on Monday.
The startup connects families with speech, occupational and physical therapists who provide insurance-covered care for children in the home. For clinicians, it helps them build private practices by offering support for credentialing, scheduling, documentation and billing. It has a network of more than 400 providers.
“By embedding therapy within a child’s natural environment, clinicians can work on skills in the context where they actually unfold, which leads to more practical progress and stronger continuity for families,” said Jen Wirt, CEO and founder of Coral Care.
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The Series A round was led by Haymaker Ventures, with participation from FCA Ventures, Peterson Ventures, Alleycorp, Reach Capital, Jefferson River Capital, Greymatter Capital, Mother Ventures and Charge Ventures. In total, Coral Care has raised about $21 million.
“Coral Care represents the modern approach to care delivery — one that is affordable, localized, and customized to meet patient needs. It allows providers to focus on patients rather than operational overhead,” said Olivia Baribeau, principal at Haymaker Ventures, in a statement.
The financing will help the company expand into new markets, including Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. With this expansion, Coral Care operates in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Texas, Illinois and Pennsylvania, and aims to eventually offer care nationwide.
The funding will also support investments in its team and infrastructure, including operational, marketing and engineering talent, Wirt said.
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Coral Care was born out of Wirt’s personal experience navigating therapy services for her daughter.
“After encountering long waitlists, complex insurance requirements, and limited in-network availability, I set out to address the systemic barriers families face when seeking developmental care,” she said. “I built Coral Care to make therapy easier to find, easier to access, and more sustainable over time.”
Looking ahead, Wirt hopes Coral Care not only expands access to pediatric developmental care but is also viewed as a trusted brand for both families and clinicians. She added that when the company raised its seed round, the key focus was on access for families, but that’s shifted.
“As we’ve brought on more and more providers, I’ve gotten to know them personally,” she said. “I’ve heard about the burnout. The paperwork. The feeling of loving the work with kids but hating everything around it. A lot of them were on the edge of leaving the field. … That wasn’t something I talked about at seed. It’s very real to me now. So when I think about what we’re building, it’s not just access. It’s a model that works for families and actually works for clinicians long term. If we don’t solve for both, the system doesn’t hold.”
Other pediatric care companies include Zarminali Pediatrics and Imagine Pediatrics. However, what sets Coral Care apart is that it provides care in the home, according to Wirt.
Photo: Suriyapong Thongsawang, Getty Images