Launch Health check-up: TheraWe Connect bridging gap between parents, pediatric therapy
November 13, 2019 | Austin Barnes and Tommy Felts
Editor’s note: The following is part of a series of stories on the six cohort companies of the Launch Health Accelerator, powered by Nueterra Capital and sponsored by LaunchKC. Click here to read all the stories published in this series.
Opportunity unlocked, it’s full steam ahead for TheraWe Connect as the startup prepares to check out of the Launch Health Accelerator and into the next phase of its startup journey.
Kaitlin Doyle, TheraWe Connect
“It’s really given us access to more opportunities in the Kansas City-area and outside of the Kansas City-area — through mentorship, but also through the other cohort members as well,” said Kaitlin Doyle, CEO.
One of six companies in the Nueterra Capital-backed program, sponsored by Launch KC, TheraWe Connect — a HIPAA-compliant mobile video platform that bridges the gap between therapy centers and the home — is doubling down on efforts to help parents navigate the world of pediatric therapy, Doyle said of what’s to come when the startup exits the program on Nov. 20.
“I am a pediatric occupational therapist by trade. I have spent my career working with families who have children with special needs in the birth to six-years-old range,” she added, detailing her experience and what attracted her to working with the startup.
Click here to register for Launch Health Demo Day, set for Nov. 20.
Jeremy Tasset, Nueterra Capital, and Kirby Montgomery, TheraWe Connect
Community collaboration, Doyle was connected to Kirby Montgomery, TheraWe Connect founder, by Lesa Mitchell, managing director of Techstars Kansas City.
“I connected with Kirby and immediately I knew that he had a solution to the problem that I was experiencing, working in homes and providing early intervention services,” she said.
The rest is history, Doyle added, noting the decision to join TheraWe Connect as CEO was a no-brainer.
The startup executive is hopeful Kansas City and surrounding healthtech markets see similar value in the company, she said.
“I think in practice as an occupational therapist, it is really challenging to communicate with all of the caregivers and provide quality services one time a week in a 30-minute session,” Doyle said. “Connecting therapists with the family is what we need in our industry and that’s where we are today.”
As TheraWe Connect moves forward, getting the platform in the hands of more users is the startup’s top priority — and more realistic than ever, thanks in large part to programming offered by Launch Health, Doyle noted.
“We were pretty open to the accelerator,” she said. “We really just wanted to dive in and learn more [and we have].”
This story is possible thanks to support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a private, nonpartisan foundation that works together with communities in education and entrepreneurship to create uncommon solutions and empower people to shape their futures and be successful.
For more information, visit www.kauffman.org and connect at www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn
Featured Business
2019 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
WillCo Tech’s sale allows founder guilt-free $200K investment in smart grid startup
Selling a majority stake in his IT consulting firm will allow Kevin Williams to focus on and expand his startup venture, the Kansas City tech entrepreneur said. Although the exact amount was undisclosed, the acquisition by Ohio-based Metisentry earlier this month provided a big enough payoff to fund Williams’ and his wife’s future retirement, as…
After $2.95M round, corporate deal ensures word-of-mouth marketing for RiskGenius
RiskGenius’ $2.95 million series A extension funding round is worth more than its face value, said CEO Chris Cheatham. The round was led by QBE Ventures, an Australia-based firm known as being among the world’s top 20 insurance companies. In addition to the funds, QBE North America will be the first division to fully implement…
Likarda scaling up biotech research firm with $4M angel boost, new lab
An animal’s diabetes diagnosis comes with a heavy burden for the pet’s owners, Lisa Stehno-Bittel said. And it’s not just the cost of treatment, the president and co-founder of Likarda added. “Of those who will try twice-daily insulin injections, within a year, half of those have given up,” she said. “A lot of that is…
CommunityAmerica credits youth as most innovative, building teen advisory board
It’s the curious, passionate and inquisitive kid — not necessarily the valedictorian — who is the job creator of the future, Anita Newton said. And companies should do all they can to learn from such youth, she added. “What’s happening a lot in the world today is all this reverse mentoring,” said Newton, chief innovation…