Cognoa
Cognoa is a Palo Alto-based pediatric behavioral health company that developed Canvas Dx, the first FDA-authorized AI diagnostic for autism in children ages 1.5 to 6 years. It sells through insurance reimbursement, a direct-pay California telemedicine subsidiary (Cognoa Clinical), and clinical and international distribution partners including Catalight Group and The Ability Center.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersPalo Alto, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Cognoa does
Cognoa is a Palo Alto-based pediatric behavioral health company that has built Canvas Dx, the first and only FDA-authorized AI-powered diagnostic aid for autism spectrum disorder in children ages 1.5 to 6 years. The system combines three data modalities — a caregiver-completed mobile questionnaire, a clinician-completed questionnaire, and computer-vision analysis of short home videos of the child — into a single diagnostic prediction with reported 95% sensitivity, 95% specificity, 97% NPV, and 95% PPV validated across diverse demographic strata. The AI includes a Responsible AI framework with an "Indeterminate" abstention outcome to reduce misclassification, and was developed from research originating at Harvard Medical School's Center for Biomedical Informatics under founder Dr. Dennis Wall PhD.
Cognoa monetizes Canvas Dx primarily through insurance reimbursement — the product is covered by Highmark commercial plans and has secured its first state Medicaid coverage in Wyoming — and supplements this with a wholly-owned California telemedicine subsidiary, Cognoa Clinical, which provides direct-pay diagnostic evaluations (HSA, FSA, cash) to families. Distribution runs through a clinical partner network spanning practices in California, Montana, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Virginia, New Jersey, Delaware, and Mississippi, alongside flagship enterprise relationships including a 2026 strategic partnership with Catalight Group (15,000 practitioners, 25,000 patients annually) and an exclusive international distribution partnership with The Ability Center covering Saudi Arabia and Arabic-speaking populations.
The company was founded in 2013 and has raised approximately $127M across four funding rounds led in multiple instances by Morningside. It operates with an 11-50 person headcount under CEO Dr. Sharief Taraman, a pediatric neurologist, and a leadership team that includes a dedicated Chief AI Officer (Halim Abbas) and a VP of Regulatory and Quality Affairs, reflecting the heavy regulatory and clinical-validation orientation of the business model.
Cognoa firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cognoa
- Legal name
- Cognoa, Inc.
- Website
- https://cognoa.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Cognoa is a Palo Alto-based pediatric behavioral health company that developed Canvas Dx, the first FDA-authorized AI diagnostic for autism in children ages 1.5 to 6 years. It sells through insurance reimbursement, a direct-pay California telemedicine subsidiary (Cognoa Clinical), and clinical and international distribution partners including Catalight Group and The Ability Center.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cognoa industry classification
Industry- Product category
- AI-powered autism diagnostics
- NAICS
- Medical Laboratories (621511), Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (62151)
- SIC
- Services-Medical Laboratories (8071), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Pediatrics & Adolescent Therapeutics (Digital) (HLACANAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Autism Diagnostic & Educational Assessment Services (EDAKAKAA), Neurodevelopmental & Behavioral Therapy Platforms (ADHD/Autism/Behavioral Coaching) (HLALAEAJ)
Keywords
Where Cognoa is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Palo Alto
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Cognoa business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Diagnostic Testing Reimbursement: Canvas Dx is reimbursed by health insurance providers including Highmark commercial plans and Medicaid programs. Healthcare providers bill for the diagnostic assessment through standard medical billing codes.
- Direct Patient Services (Cognoa Clinical): Cognoa Clinical provides direct autism diagnostic evaluations to families in California via telemedicine, accepting HSA, FSA, and cash payments. This clinic-based service generates direct revenue from families without insurance coverage.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Insurance-reimbursed diagnostic testing |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Direct pay clinical service (Cognoa Clinical) |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Cognoa product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cognoa develops Canvas Dx, the first and only FDA-authorized AI-powered diagnostic solution for autism spectrum disorder in children ages 1.5 to 6 years. The platform combines caregiver questionnaires, clinician questionnaires, and AI analysis of home-recorded videos of child behavior to deliver a diagnostic prediction within days rather than months. Cognoa also operates Cognoa Clinical, a California-based telemedicine service that delivers the Canvas Dx assessment directly to families.
Product overview
Cognoa is an early childhood development and pediatric behavioral health company offering digital diagnostics and therapeutics. The primary product is Canvas Dx, an FDA-authorized AI diagnostic system for autism detection in young children. Canvas Dx is supplemented by Cognoa Clinical, a telemedicine service providing direct patient assessments. The company operates a web-based clinical portal for providers and a mobile app for caregivers, with the AI combining multiple data inputs (videos, questionnaires) to produce diagnostic predictions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Canvas Dx: FDA-authorized AI-powered diagnostic solution for autism spectrum disorder in children ages 1.5 to 6 years, designed to diagnose or rule out autism within days rather than months.
Products and services
- Canvas Dx FDA-authorized AI-powered diagnostic solution that enables clinicians to diagnose or rule out autism in children ages 1.5 to 6 years within days. Combines caregiver questionnaires, clinician questionnaires, and analysis of home videos to generate diagnostic predictions with 95% sensitivity and 95% specificity. Prescription-based and reimbursed by Highmark and Medicaid programs.
- Cognoa Clinical Telemedicine-based autism assessment service combining Canvas Dx with live virtual appointments with autism specialists. Available to families with children located in California; accepts HSA, FSA, and cash payments. Includes online intake, guided video recording, expert review, and telehealth visits.
Quantifiable outcome
- 95% sensitivity and 95% specificity in detecting or ruling out autism
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Cognoa
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Cognoa technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability7 records
Feature5 records
Cognoa partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- Catalight GroupcoreStrategic partnership connecting early autism diagnosis with high-quality, outcomes-driven treatment services. Combines Cognoa's FDA-authorized Canvas Dx diagnostic tool with Catalight's network of 15,000 practitioners serving 25,000 patients annually. Partnership aims to place patients into care within 10 business days of assessment, addressing the 12-24 month wait times that currently plague the industry. Catalight has achieved 30% cost reductions through value-based care agreements.
- The Ability CenterflagshipExclusive distribution partnership making Canvas Dx available in Saudi Arabia for children 18 to 72 months with developmental delay concerns. The Ability Center serves as the exclusive partner for the Middle East region, expanding access for Arabic-speaking families. Cognoa also aims to expand access for Arabic-speaking families in the US through this partnership.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Cognoa competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- EarliTec Diagnostics: EarliTec has FDA clearance for an AI-enabled eye-tracking diagnostic aid for autism (EarliPoint) in young children, making it the closest direct competitor to Cognoa's Canvas Dx in pediatric AI autism diagnostics. Both companies target primary care clinicians with FDA-authorized AI diagnostic tools aimed at reducing autism waitlists.
- Akili Interactive: Akili develops FDA-authorized digital therapeutics (EndeavorRx) for pediatric ADHD, directly adjacent to Cognoa's pediatric neurodevelopmental focus. Both companies are SaMD players targeting pediatric behavioral health with AI/software-driven assessments and treatments prescribed through clinicians.
- Behavior Imaging Solutions: Behavior Imaging offers remote autism assessment platforms (NODA) that enable caregivers to upload videos for specialist review, closely mirroring Cognoa's home-video-based AI analysis. Both target schools, healthcare providers, and families seeking earlier autism evaluations.
Emerging players
- Hazel Health: Hazel Health provides telehealth-based mental health services in K-12 schools and at home, addressing pediatric mental and behavioral health needs. Like Cognoa, it focuses on expanding access to developmental and behavioral care for children and serves as a complementary channel for early intervention.
- Limbic: Limbic applies AI to mental health care navigation and patient engagement, intersecting with Cognoa's AI-driven behavioral health mission. Both companies target improvements in access, triage, and outcomes in behavioral health through AI-enabled tools.
- Creyos: Creyos (formerly Cambridge Brain Sciences) offers AI-driven cognitive and behavioral health assessments used by clinicians, overlapping with Cognoa's diagnostic positioning in pediatric behavioral health. Both companies apply validated digital assessments to support earlier clinical decision-making.
- Brightline Health: Brightline is a pediatric behavioral health company offering virtual therapy and assessment services for children and adolescents, overlapping with Cognoa's family-facing pediatric behavioral health mission. Both serve families seeking earlier intervention and digital-first care delivery.
Broad incumbents
- Lyra Health: Lyra Health is a larger incumbent mental health platform offering therapy, coaching, and medication management to enterprise clients. While broader than Cognoa, it represents an established player in employer- and payer-funded behavioral health with similar reimbursement strategies.
- Spring Health: Spring Health is a broader incumbent precision mental health platform serving employers and payers with AI-driven care matching. It represents the kind of scaled, payer-funded behavioral health platform that Cognoa's value-based autism pathway partnerships could evolve toward.
Others
- Catalight Group: Catalight is both a strategic partner and a meaningful adjacent player in the autism care ecosystem, operating a network of 15,000 practitioners serving 25,000 patients annually. While not a diagnostic competitor, it sets the operational benchmark for scaled, value-based autism care delivery that Cognoa plugs into.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Cognoa social profiles
Digital presenceCognoa financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cognoa leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Cognoa subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Cognoa funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cognoa M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cognoa
What does Cognoa do?
Cognoa develops Canvas Dx, the first and only FDA-authorized AI-powered diagnostic solution for autism spectrum disorder in children ages 1.5 to 6 years. The platform combines caregiver questionnaires, clinician questionnaires, and AI analysis of home-recorded videos of child behavior to deliver a diagnostic prediction within days rather than months. Cognoa also operates Cognoa Clinical, a California-based telemedicine service that delivers the Canvas Dx assessment directly to families.
Is Cognoa a public or private company?
Cognoa is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Cognoa founded?
Cognoa was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Cognoa based?
Cognoa is headquartered in Palo Alto, United States, in the North America region.
How does Cognoa make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Diagnostic Testing Reimbursement is the primary driver. The others are direct Patient Services (Cognoa Clinical).
Who are Cognoa's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are EarliTec Diagnostics, Akili Interactive and Behavior Imaging Solutions. Emerging players are Hazel Health, Limbic, Creyos and Brightline Health. Broad incumbents are Lyra Health and Spring Health. Catalight Group is listed as an others.
Does Cognoa have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cognoa.
What industry is Cognoa in?
Cognoa's product category is AI-powered autism diagnostics. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLACANAL, Pediatrics & Adolescent Therapeutics (Digital), with a secondary code of EDAKAKAA, Autism Diagnostic & Educational Assessment Services. Its NAICS code is 621511 and its SIC code is 8071.