Little Otter

Name

Little Otter

Legal name

Little Otter Health

Website

https://littleotterhealth.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pediatric Mental Health Services

NAICS

Child Care Services (62441), Other Individual and Family Services (62419)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Pediatric Direct-to-Consumer Virtual Care (HLALAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Couples & Family Therapy Teletherapy Platforms (HLALAEAG)

Keywords

• Virtual mental health
• Pediatric behavioral health
• Family therapy platform
• Children's mental health
• Measurement-based care

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Insurance Reimbursement (In-Network): Recurring revenue from contracted health plan reimbursements for therapy, psychiatry, and parent coaching services delivered to in-network members. In-network coverage includes Independence Blue Cross, AmeriHealth (NJ), Sana, Florida Blue, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Blue Cross Blue Shield of MN, Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC, Blue Cross Blue Shield of SC, and Cigna Healthcare. Billed under standard FFS BH codes (90791, 90792, 90834, 90846, 90847, 99214, 97156, 96127).
2. Out-of-Network / Direct Pay Services: Revenue from families paying out-of-pocket for therapy, parent coaching, and psychiatry services when not covered by in-network insurance, plus out-of-network superbill submission for partial reimbursement (typically 40-70% of session after deductible). Pricing: Kickoff Call $0, Therapy Assessment $350, Therapy Session $200, Parent Coaching Assessment $200, Parent Coaching Session $200, Psychiatry Assessment $500, Psychiatry Session $250. Bundle discounts available; HSA/FSA eligible.
3. Enterprise / Health Plan Contracts (Case or Bundled Rates): Per-member / per-episode revenue from B2B contracts with health plans, health systems, employers, EAPs, and schools. Tiered model based on treatment intensity (e.g., 16-week average course of treatment inclusive of assessment, treatment recommendation, and 12 weekly sessions), plus vendor contracts covering care navigation, real-time scheduling, universal assessment, MBC, and bundled ecosystem of specialty referrals.
4. Growth / Non-Dilutive Capital Financing: Non-dilutive growth funding from Decathlon Capital Partners used to expand services and develop electronic medical records software. Distinct from equity rounds, this functions as a capital structure that supports service expansion.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Little Otter delivers virtual whole-family mental health care through the Little Otter App, combining a proprietary Family Mental Health Check-up (FMHC) screening with three core clinical services — Therapy, Psychiatry, and Parent Coaching — provided by licensed clinicians to children (ages 0-18), parents, and trying/expecting/postpartum family members. Care is delivered on a measurement-based, evidence-based model with 24-hour access to kickoff calls and under-7-day full diagnostic assessments, complemented by the specialized RAFT Program for Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Product overview

Little Otter is a single virtual platform offering measurement-based, whole-family mental health care. The platform combines the Family Mental Health Check-up (FMHC) — a proprietary AI-supported mental health biomarker assessment — with three core clinical services: Therapy, Psychiatry, and Parent Coaching (Parent Specialty), all delivered virtually to families across age-specific tracks (Children 0-2, Children 3-7, Children 8-12, Teenagers 13-18, Parents, and Trying/Expecting/Postpartum). Care is accessed and managed through the Little Otter App, which hosts the FMHC, care plans, progress reports, clinician notes, and messaging. Little Otter extends its platform with the RAFT Program: Autism Spectrum Disorder, a specialized program providing coordinated care for children with ASD and their families, and has merged with Hazel Health to combine school-based and home-based care delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RAFT Program: Autism Spectrum Disorder: A specialized program providing tailored, evidence-based mental health care for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families.
• Family Mental Health Check-up (FMHC)

Products and services

• Family Mental Health Check-up (FMHC) A free, proprietary 10-minute mental health assessment that screens every family member (children, parents, and family relationships) using developmentally-tailored questions from infancy to adulthood to surface mental health biomarkers and provide personalized reports and action items. Designed by Co-Founder and Chief Medical & Scientific Officer Dr. Helen Egger; completed in approximately 10 minutes with quarterly re-checks.
• Therapy Virtual individual therapy for children and parents, couples counseling, and family therapy delivered by independently licensed mental health providers specializing in child and family mental health. Uses evidence-based, measurement-based treatment approaches for anxiety disorders, depression, ADHD, behavioral disorders, and other child mental health challenges.
• Psychiatry Virtual psychiatric consultation and medication management for children (0-18) and adults, provided by psychiatrists trained in treating both children and adults. Includes comprehensive medication management (e.g., stimulants) and collaboration with pediatricians and primary care providers.
• Parent Coaching (Parent Specialty) Parent-focused coaching and support with a licensed provider addressing common child-raising concerns, parenting challenges, co-parenting, work-life balance, and stress. Includes ongoing guidance from parenting specialists who are experts in parenting, family relationships, and understanding behavior.
• Little Otter App Web/mobile application that supports the full care journey, including Family Mental Health Check-up completion, kickoff call booking, care plan management, real-time progress reports, assessment results, clinician notes after every session, unlimited care team messaging, and appointment scheduling.
• RAFT Program: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Specialized comprehensive program providing tailored, evidence-based mental health care for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families. Combines child and adult therapy, psychiatry, parent coaching, couples counseling, and family therapy for co-occurring mental health conditions, with master's-level Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) care navigation and care coordination with ABA providers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% of children show clinically significant improvement in 12 sessions
• +9 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Hazel HealthflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 October 2025Little Otter merged with Hazel Health in October 2025 to combine school-based and home-based mental health care. Combined entity reaches 20 million children and families across 6,200 schools in 20 states. The merger was announced by CEO Rebecca Egger on October 16, 2025. Hazel also acquired another company and appointed Iyah Romm as CEO. Little Otter operates as part of the combined Hazel + Little Otter platform.
• Independence Blue CrossflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIn-network insurance partnership providing service in Pennsylvania and Delaware. Covers plans including Personal Choice, Bluelink, and Independence Assurance Company. Contracted FFS BH codes.
• AmeriHealth (NJ)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIn-network insurance partner enabling covered access to Little Otter therapy, psychiatry, and parent coaching services.
• Florida BluecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIn-network health plan partner enabling covered access to Little Otter services.
• SanacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIn-network health plan partner enabling covered access to Little Otter services.
• Kaiser Permanente Northern CaliforniaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn-network therapy services for Kaiser Permanente Northern California members via referral. Integrated payer-provider partner.
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (Blue Plus)flagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExpanded behavioral health network with virtual options for children and families, including Little Otter services.
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North CarolinacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIn-network health plan partner.
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South CarolinacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIn-network health plan partner.
• Cigna HealthcarecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAccepted insurance plan for Little Otter services.
• Health Tech PartnerscoreTechnology or IntegrationHealth tech partners can offer mental health care to their users through the Little Otter virtual platform; enables embedded distribution of Little Otter's care via partner apps and platforms.
• Brand PartnersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBrand partners co-promote and provide high-quality mental health care through collaborative partnerships (e.g., Little Otter partnered with Gerber for Father's Day 2025 campaign on postpartum depression in dads).
• GerberminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLittle Otter partnered with Gerber for Father's Day 2025 as part of Gerber's Parent-Friendly Pursuit to raise awareness about postpartum depression in dads.
• Bright Spot NetworkminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-produced content with Little Otter during National Cancer Survivors Month (June 2022) on how to talk to kids when a caregiver has cancer.
• Amy Kennedy / The Kennedy ForumminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAmy Kennedy (mental health advocate, educator, co-founder of The Kennedy Forum) joined Little Otter as an advisor in June 2024 to extend impact and accessibility for children's and family mental health.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Talkspace: Public virtual therapy platform (NASDAQ: TLCP) serving individuals, couples, and teens through B2B and B2C channels. Comparable online therapy delivery model and payer relationships, but Talkspace is a generalist platform without the whole-family measurement-based care differentiator.
• Spring Health: Employer-sponsored mental health benefits platform offering therapy, psychiatry, and coaching across all ages. Comparable B2B2C distribution and outcomes-tracking model, but with substantially broader scope and significantly more capital raised; pediatric/family specialization is a clear differentiator Little Otter holds.
• Hazel Health: K-12 virtual mental health provider that merged with Little Otter in October 2025; now the parent company. Most directly comparable given overlapping pediatric mental health focus and shared distribution channel, but Hazel historically focused on school-based therapy while Little Otter focuses on home/family-based whole-family care.
• Lyra Health: Enterprise mental health benefits platform serving employees and their dependents through employer contracts. Highly comparable enterprise GTM motion (health plans, employers, EAPs) and value-based contracting, but serves a broader all-ages population rather than specializing in pediatric/family mental health.

Direct peers

• Charlie Health: Virtual and hybrid intensive outpatient mental health provider specifically focused on adolescents, young adults, and families. Highly comparable to Little Otter's pediatric and family-system orientation, with a similar evidence-based, measurement-driven care model targeting high-acuity youth mental health.
• Brightside Health: Virtual mental health platform combining therapy and psychiatry with measurement-based care and an outcomes-driven treatment model. Comparable to Little Otter in its integrated therapy + psychiatry delivery and emphasis on PROMIS-measured clinical improvement, though Brightside serves adults and teens broadly rather than whole families.
• Cerebral: Virtual mental health company delivering therapy and medication management through subscription-based pricing. Comparable in virtual care delivery model and payer-mix complexity, though Cerebral has historically focused on adult anxiety/depression/ADHD rather than pediatric and family-system care.
• Mantra Health: Virtual mental health provider specifically built for college and university student populations, offering therapy and psychiatry with measurement-based outcomes. Comparable in virtual pediatric/young-adult mental health focus and emphasis on partner-channel distribution (similar to Little Otter's school distribution via Hazel).

Emerging players

• InStride Health: Specialty virtual clinic providing exposure therapy and parent coaching for pediatric anxiety and OCD. Comparable pediatric mental health specialization and parent-coaching component of the care model, though narrower in clinical scope (anxiety/OCD only) than Little Otter's whole-family offering.
• Two Chairs: Hybrid in-person and virtual therapy practice with measurement-based care and an emphasis on therapist-client matching. Comparable clinical quality orientation and outcomes tracking, but serves adults primarily and operates with a clinic-based hybrid model rather than fully virtual whole-family delivery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/littleotterhealth
• Xx.com/LittleOtterCare
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/little-otter

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors14 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Little Otter