A Chicago startup that’s aiming to change and improve how patients are treated for mental health conditions has raised a round of funding to help it grow.
Blueprint, founded in 2016, announced Tuesday that it raised $1.3 million in a seed round led by Lightbank and Hyde Park Angels.
Blueprint’s platform, used by both clinicians and patients, collects and analyzes patient data. Patients use Blueprint’s mobile app to complete standardized assessments between appointments with their doctor. That information is then combined with their exercise, sleep and movement patterns, which have been captured through smartphone sensors. On the physician side, clinicians can then view the collected data, which gives them the ability to deliver measurement-based care.
“The research really supports that when patients receive this kind of care, they’re going to feel better, faster,” said Blueprint Founder and CEO Danny Freed. “We really envision ourselves as providing the toolkit or map for clinicians to best navigate their patient toward remission.”
The platform is designed to treat a host of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and bipolar disorder. Additionally, the platform is free for patients to use, meaning anyone anywhere can use the app independently of a physician. Blueprint makes money through fees it charges clinics when it bills insurance companies on their behalf.
Freed said Blueprint has “dozens” of clinics across the country currently using its platform but plans to use the new financing to reach more, as well as grow its engineering and sales teams. Blueprint currently employs five people in its River North offices.
“The Blueprint team has built something truly amazing, and we are extremely excited to partner with them,” said Vic Pascucci, managing partner of Lightbank, in a statement. “With the benefits that measurement-based care can provide, we see a bright future ahead not only for the patients using the app, but for Blueprint as well.”
