After hitting the iOS app store in June with its digital tool to care for those on the autism spectrum, a local startup is looking to expand with a fresh round of funding.
Red Oak-based ASD.ai, the developer of mobile app Rootines, announced the closing on a $1 million angel round led by Pittsburgh’s Determined Capital, a firm led by pharmacists and senior VP of special projects for PANTHERx Specialty Pharmacy Tim Davis.
“We see such a need for mental health support in the world today and are grateful to have found an investor that sees the need, as well and wants to be part of building a solution,” said Tamara Jackson, ASD.ai CEO, in a statement.
Before the funding, ASD.ai had been bootstrapped since forming in 2020. The company is currently pre-revenue.
The funding adds to recent traction ASD.ai has gained since Jackson sold her previous auto dealership business in Connecticut and relocating to North Texas. In July, the startup became a Capital Factory member, a move that allowed it to apply for the Microsoft for Startups program, which accepted it into its cohort and awarded it with $120,000 in products and services.
The angel round will be used for “key hires.” Specifically, Jackson said the company is looking to hire a data scientist and two developers, bringing its total team size to eight by the end of the year.
The money will also be used to build a web portal for the Rootines app to support more B2B and commercial uses in places like therapist offices and hospitals. In this area, Jackson previously said the company had seen growing customer interest. She added that she hopes it can be used as an employee retention tool for those caring for neurodiverse patients. The company is also looking to expand beyond just focusing on those on the autism spectrum to support the care for those with other mental disorders like ADHD and bipolar disorder.
ASD.ai expects to launch Rootines on the Android app store by the end of the year.
“We think there will be a mix of direct consumers using the app, but see a strong demand from institutional users… as they look to enhance patient engagement and get better continuous data on patients’ well-being,” Jackson said via email.
The Rootines app gives users, both patients and their caregivers, the ability to track different parts of their day, from moods and medication to sleep and hydration. Using AI and machine learning, that information can then be shared with others in the person’s care network and provide analytics, insights, and actionable suggestions to help improve that care.
ASD.ai was formed in 2020 by Jackson and Co-founders Dominic Foster, CTO, and Blake Rutherford, CMO, founded Kentucky-based real-time infant viewing platform NicView, which was acquired by California’s Natus Medical in 2015.
“We have a solid roadmap that we are excited about, that will add a tremendous amount to the user experience and enrich our data set so that we can provide even more valuable insights,” Jackson said.
