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There has been a major and positive step forward in the field of healthcare for families of neurodivergent children, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Learning Disability in India. Butterfly Learnings, a leading healthtech platform working on pediatric behavioral health, has successfully raised capital of ₹65 crore in its Pre-Series B funding round. The investment is led by leading venture capital firm Inflexor Ventures, with existing investors Enzia Ventures, Insitor Partners and IIMA Ventures also increasing their stake.
₹65 crore funding and big plans for nationwide expansion
The main objective of this fresh capital raise by the Mumbai-based startup is to aggressively expand its network of physical child therapy centers across India beyond Maharashtra. The company is currently operating more than 90 state-of-the-art therapy centers in more than 22 major cities of the country. With the help of this new fund, hundreds of new clinical centers will be opened in Tier-1 and Tier-2 cities of North India, South India and North-Eastern states, which will free the parents of small towns from having to travel to big metros for the therapy of their children.
Need of 4.5 crore children in India: Why this step is important
According to health statistics, about 4.5 crore children in India are living with neurodevelopmental disorders. Despite this, due to lack of qualified therapists in the country, late diagnosis and fragmentation of treatment options, only a small proportion get the right therapy on time. The right therapy given during the early brain development of children proves to be most effective in making their future completely normal and self-reliant. Butterfly Learning’s model provides clinical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, behavioral therapy and inclusive education under one roof.
Autism identification at age 1: ‘Get SET Early’ patented technology
A major portion of this funding will be used by the company for its state-of-the-art Artificial Intelligence (AI) and patented eye-tracking screening technology. ‘Get SET Early’ Will spend on deploying it across the country.
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CDSCO Recognized: This revolutionary technology, approved by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), can accurately identify early signs of autism even in children as young as 1 year old.
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Partnership with hospitals and pediatricians: The company is tying up directly with major children’s hospitals, pediatric clinics and doctors, so that initial screening of children can be done during routine vaccination and checkups.
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Timely intervention: The sooner the disorder is identified, the sooner Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and other therapies can be initiated to improve the child’s mental and social skills.
Asia’s only BHCOE accredited therapist training institute
The biggest obstacle to autism care in India is the acute shortage of trained and certified therapists. Butterfly Learnings is Asia’s only ‘Behavioral Health Center of Excellence’ (BHCOE) Operates a recognized in-house therapist training institute. Through this fund, the company will train hundreds of new clinical psychologists, speech pathologists and behavior therapists at international standards, ensuring permanent availability of skilled doctors and specialists in clinics across the country.
Founders’ Vision: Integrating neurodivergent children into the mainstream
Founded in 2021 by pediatric neurologist Dr. Sonam Kothari and healthcare entrepreneur Dr. Abhishek Sen, Butterfly Learnings has, in a short span of time, established itself as the country’s most trusted pediatric behavioral health network. The founders say that when a family goes through the problem of autism or ADHD, it has to go from pillar to post. Our aim is to create a data-driven and compassionate ecosystem where every child can get transparent, scientific and affordable treatment.