Care for older adults is a highly specialized field but it often overlooks mental health care. In order to provide the high level of care required for older adults and also focus on mental health treatment, a new Seattle-based healthtech startup is launching with serious backing behind it.
Rippl announced its official launch on Wednesday along with news that it raised $32 million in a seed round co-led by ARCH Venture Partners and General Catalyst. Rippl was co-founded by Kris Engskov, former president of Starbucks’ U.S. retail division.
“Mental health care for seniors is broken,” Engskov, who serves as Rippl’s CEO, said in a statement. “Our country’s healthcare system is not designed to tackle the needs of seniors with mental health challenges, particularly those struggling with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, leaving many families and caregivers to navigate these complex conditions alone.”
According to Rippl, over 16 million adults in the U.S. over the age of 50 live with mental conditions that cause them and their families emotional and financial strain. To remedy this, the company launched its platform to help older adults and their families get access to mental care that works for them.
With the platform, Rippl connects patients with clinicians. It also allows users to receive care remotely.
Rippl will use the seed funding to hire clinicians and continue building technologies to improve the living conditions of older adults with mental health challenges.
The company will also focus on employee development for its clinicians. It is developing a platform called Rippl Academy that will focus on providing additional education and training.
