A D.C. therapy startup that aims to make mental health care more equitable and inclusive is now eyeing more markets for expansion beyond Greater Washington.
Hurdle Health Inc. said it plans to increase hiring, raise new funding and exponentially grow revenue this year. It starts with an expanded service area to a trio of new markets — California, Massachusetts and Texas — in the first of many phases to stretch beyond Greater Washington.
Hurdle offers appointments to Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) via telemedicine with therapists licensed in the states it serves, so far, just within the District, Maryland and Virginia. Those therapists are trained in cultural humility and responsiveness “with the skills needed to effectively address issues of race, ethnicity, class and culture,” founder and CEO Kevin Dedner told the Washington Business Journal.
“By weeding out racial and cultural bias, we ensure BIPOC individuals’ narratives are not only heard and acknowledged, but also put in perspective to understand their experiences. And from understanding, comes healing,” Dedner said.
Hurdle’s charge: to remove barriers for more people of color seeking mental health services and treatment around the country. That roadmap involves adding New York, Tennessee, Illinois, Georgia and Minnesota in the second quarter as part of a plan to secure the licensing to provide services in roughly 25 states by 2023. For this year alone, it hopes to quadruple the teletherapy sessions offered through its platform, from 5,000 to 20,000.
Part of that is widening its insurer network. After signing a national contract with Cigna Corp. (NYSE: CI), it now looks to bring more health plans on board, at least two in the first half of the year and another three to four by year’s end, Dedner said.
This marks an important moment for the business, as demand for its mental health services only intensified through the Covid-19 pandemic. “This continues to be a challenging time for many Americans,” Dedner said. “We have seen an unprecedented spike in mental health issues, and we are focused on meeting the need.”
It follows a strong 2021, in which Hurdle doubled the number of therapists in its network to 75 and grew its headcount to 28 employees, Dedner said. Up to this point, Hurdle’s therapists have all been contractors, but now they’re transitioning to become full-time employees.
Going forward, the company expects to close 2022 with $5 million in revenue, after reaching $1 million in revenue during 2021, Dedner said. It's raised $7 million in seed funding, with plans to raise a Series A round late this year to fund its expansion plans, he said.
Hurdle, a 2021 Fire Awards winner, was born out of its founder’s own personal battle with depression. Dedner had himself shuffled through three therapists before he could find a good fit, he said, and about half of his Black peers shared similar circumstances, even pre-pandemic.
“At our company, we faced a hard truth,” Dedner, who spent nearly a decade working in public health, told us previously. “And that hard truth is that the mental health care system, as we know it, was not designed for everyone.”
