What Joon does

Joon (legal entity Starling Solutions, Inc., d/b/a Joon Care) is a U.S. teletherapy provider founded in 2020 and headquartered in Seattle, WA, delivering video-based mental health services exclusively to teens and young adults ages 13-26. The platform matches clients with licensed clinical psychologists and mental health counselors specialized in adolescent challenges — anxiety, depression, suicidality, identity, trauma, LGBTQ+ issues — and supports weekly, twice-weekly, or biweekly video sessions via a HIPAA-compliant web product and companion iOS and Android apps, with no session recording absent explicit consent.

The business operates three revenue streams: in-network insurance billing (claims submitted on the client's behalf, with copays collected), self-pay per session (with documentation for out-of-network reimbursement), and a sponsored-care channel in which cities, school districts, and community organizations fund therapy for eligible youth — exemplified by the City of Seattle, Edmonds School District, Our Family Coalition, Innovative Change Makers, and LGBTQ SAVES partnerships. Supporting products include a topic-organized Mental Health Resources Hub, Parent Guides, Guided Meditations, and an LGBTQ+ Newsletter, all functioning as top-of-funnel content marketing.

The company has raised approximately $9.5M across two rounds (2020 seed led by Route 66 Ventures with PSL Ventures and Vulcan Capital; 2023 round from PSL Ventures and Route 66 Ventures), operates with 11-50 employees under CEO Emily Pesce and Co-Founder/Chief Clinical Officer Amy Mezulis, PhD, and was recently integrated with Handspring Health — a move that redirects new sign-ups to Handspring while preserving the Joon brand and teen/young-adult specialty. Geographic scope is U.S.-only, with international users explicitly restricted.

Name

Joon

Legal name

Starling Solutions, Inc.

Website

https://joon.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Joon is a U.S. teletherapy platform, founded in 2020 and headquartered in Seattle, that delivers video-based mental health services to teens and young adults ages 13-26 through licensed clinicians, supported by insurance billing, self-pay, and sponsored-care partnerships with cities, schools, and community organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Teletherapy services

NAICS

Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians) (621330)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

General Mental Health Therapy Platforms (Talk Therapy) (HLALAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mental Health Therapist Marketplaces (HLALALAJ), Grief, Trauma & PTSD-Focused Teletherapy Platforms (HLALAEAL)

Keywords

• Teen teletherapy services
• Adolescent mental health
• Youth counseling platform
• Online therapy teens
• Video therapy sessions

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Insurance Billing (In-Network): Joon is in-network with a growing number of insurance providers. Claims are submitted on behalf of clients, and copays are charged before each appointment. Many insurance companies may not cover therapy provided by associate-level licensed therapists.
2. Self-Pay: Clients or their families can pay directly out-of-pocket for therapy sessions. Credit/debit card is charged for each session. Clients receive billing documentation to submit out-of-network claims to their insurance for reimbursement.
3. Sponsored Care: Joon partners with local, state, and national agencies to offer low or no-cost care. Partner organizations (cities, schools, community organizations) pay for therapy services on behalf of eligible clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Joon provides video-based teletherapy services that match teens and young adults ages 13-26 with licensed therapists specialized in adolescent mental health, including anxiety, depression, gender identity, family relationships, trauma, and suicidality. The service is delivered through a HIPAA-compliant platform accessible via web and mobile apps (iOS and Android), with insurance verification, in-network billing, self-pay options, and free care funded through partnerships with cities, schools, and community organizations.

Product overview

Joon offers a unified teletherapy platform for teens and young adults ages 13-26, combining a video-based therapy service with a companion mobile app. The platform centers on connecting clients with matched licensed therapists through its core Therapist Matching Service and Teletherapy Platform. Supporting the core service are sub-products including a Mental Health Resources Hub (organized by topic), Parent Guides for common concerns, Guided Meditations, and an LGBTQ+ Newsletter. The platform is available via web and mobile apps on iOS and Android, with therapy sessions conducted via video call and supplemented with resources for ongoing mental health support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Joon Teletherapy Platform A video-based teletherapy platform that connects teens and young adults (ages 13-26) with licensed therapists specialized in adolescent mental health, supporting concerns such as anxiety, depression, motivation, family relationships, gender identity, trauma, PTSD, grief, sleep troubles, stress, and suicidal thoughts. Sessions are delivered over HIPAA-compliant video with insurance verification, in-network billing, self-pay, and sponsored care options.
• Joon Mobile App A native mobile application for iOS and Android that lets clients schedule appointments, attend HIPAA-compliant video therapy sessions, and access therapeutic skills and resources associated with their Joon care plan.

Quantifiable outcome

• Clients achieve recovery rates at 2x the rate of traditional in-person therapy
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

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

• Handspring HealthflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoon has partnered with Handspring Health, with Joon becoming part of Handspring Health. This partnership brings the same great care with even more support and resources. Users are redirected to Handspring Health for sign-up.
• City of SeattlecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership to provide free mental health services for youth. The City of Seattle has expanded free mental health services through this partnership with Joon.
• Edmonds School DistrictcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSchool district partnership providing free therapy services for students through sponsored care programs.
• Our Family CoalitioncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity organization partnership providing affirming therapy services, particularly focused on LGBTQ+ families and youth.
• Innovative Change MakersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity organization partnership providing free mental health services to youth through innovative programming.
• LGBTQ SAVEScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership specifically designed to provide affirming therapy for LGBTQ+ teens and young adults, ensuring culturally competent care for this community.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Charlie Health: Charlie Health provides virtual and hybrid intensive outpatient programs (IOP) specifically for teens, young adults, and families. Directly comparable to Joon in target demographic (adolescents/young adults) and virtual delivery, with overlap on the teen mental health use cases (anxiety, depression, trauma).
• Mantra Health: Mantra Health is a teletherapy and psychiatry provider built specifically for college students and young adults. Directly comparable to Joon's upper end of its 13-26 demographic, with similar B2B partnerships with universities and a focus on anxiety, depression, and identity-related issues.
• Cerebral: Cerebral provides online mental health treatment including therapy and medication management, with a stated focus on anxiety, depression, ADHD, and insomnia across age groups including teens. Direct competitor in the virtual mental health space serving overlapping conditions.
• Handspring Health: Handspring Health is a virtual mental health provider that has absorbed Joon into its operations. Direct peer given shared clinical model, overlapping teen/young-adult target population, and now overlapping operations and referral pipelines.
• Hazel Health: Hazel Health provides virtual mental health services to K-12 students through school district partnerships. Comparable to Joon in its sponsored-care model via school districts and teen focus, though Hazel focuses on the K-12 setting rather than older teens/young adults.
• Brightside Health: Brightside Health is a telehealth mental health provider treating anxiety, depression, and related conditions in adults (with growing teen offerings). Comparable to Joon in virtual therapy-plus-medication model, insurance billing, and outcomes-tracking approach, with overlap on anxiety and depression use cases.

Broad incumbents

• BetterHelp: BetterHelp is the largest direct-to-consumer online therapy platform, serving all ages including teens (with parental consent). While broader than Joon, it competes for the same end consumer and D2C marketing channels, and benefits from far greater scale and brand recognition.
• Talkspace: Talkspace is a publicly-traded online therapy platform serving teens, adults, couples and psychiatry needs. Comparable to Joon in telehealth delivery and insurance-billing model, with broader service breadth and a teen-focused offering that overlaps with Joon's core demographic.
• Lyra Health: Lyra Health is a mental health benefits platform sold primarily to employers (EAP-integrated), offering therapy and coaching across age groups. Comparable to Joon in evidence-based virtual therapy delivery, but serves a broader population and acquires through employer contracts rather than D2C.

Emerging players

• Equip Health: Equip Health provides virtual family-based treatment primarily for adolescents with eating disorders. Adjacent peer to Joon — both serve adolescents via virtual care with family-inclusive models, though Equip is more narrowly focused on eating disorders and more clinically intensive.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/joon_care
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCmqCdFwk-pNSlcmE24QzDAQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/jooncare
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jooncare
• Instagraminstagram.com/joon_teens

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors3 records

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Joon