Karuna Labs
Karuna Labs is a private digital therapeutics company that delivers the KarunaHOME 12-week at-home VR-based chronic pain program, combining its proprietary KVET™ software with personalized coaching for patients prescribed by healthcare providers, workers' compensation payors, and health plans.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersIone, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Karuna Labs does
Karuna Labs Inc. is a private digital therapeutics company founded in 2017 and headquartered in Ione, California, that develops evidence-based programs to address chronic pain through neuroplastic pain management. Its flagship product, KarunaHOME, is a 12-week at-home program that combines a proprietary VR hardware kit mailed to patients with personalized behavioral coaching in English and Spanish, leveraging the company's Karuna Virtual Embodiment Training (KVET)™ software, Graded Motor Imagery, and Fear Avoidance Belief Training techniques. The platform is FDA Registered and HIPAA-compliant, and a dedicated Provider Portal allows healthcare providers to track more than 20 quantitative patient metrics in real time, including compliance, range of motion, behavioral measurements, work status, and medication reduction.
The company sells to four interlocking customer segments: healthcare providers (doctors and physical therapists) who prescribe the program; individual patients who can self-refer for a free consultation; workers' compensation payors and case managers covering the FABT variant for injured workers; and health plans (United Healthcare, Optum, Independence Blue Cross, Zenith) whose members receive coverage. Revenue flows primarily through insurance billing and workers' compensation authorization rather than direct consumer payment, positioning KarunaHOME as a prescription digital therapeutic. Research collaborations with UCSF, Penn Medicine (PRISM trial), Georgia State University, and other academic institutions generate clinical evidence supporting efficacy claims, including a cited 98% improvement / 66% pain-free outcome from the University of Colorado Boulder Pain Reprocessing Therapy study.
Karuna Labs operates with 11-50 employees and has raised a disclosed $3,000,000 seed/Series A in 2018 led by Baseline Ventures, plus an undisclosed 2021 event from 10X Capital. The company is founder/management-led with Lincoln Nguyen as CEO, Jon Weinberg as COO, Andy Riedel as CTO, and Dr. James Petros as CMO, and is supported by a Clinical Advisory Board of neuroplastic pain specialists. Distribution is U.S.-only and conducted through healthcare provider prescription channels, workers' compensation authorization, and direct-to-patient consultation, with no international footprint or self-serve consumer product.
Karuna Labs firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Karuna Labs
- Legal name
- Karuna Labs Inc.
- Website
- https://karunalabs.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Karuna Labs is a private digital therapeutics company that delivers the KarunaHOME 12-week at-home VR-based chronic pain program, combining its proprietary KVET™ software with personalized coaching for patients prescribed by healthcare providers, workers' compensation payors, and health plans.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Karuna Labs industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Therapeutics for Chronic Pain
- NAICS
- Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists (62134)
- SIC
- Services-Home Health Care Services (8082), Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Medication Adherence, Digital Therapeutics & Remote Coaching (condition-specific programs) (HLALAFAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Virtual PT/OT/MSK & Rehab Programs (Payer-Sponsored) (HLALACAI), Musculoskeletal (MSK) & Physical Therapy Virtual Care (HLALADAC)
Keywords
Where Karuna Labs is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Ione
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Karuna Labs business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Operations
Revenue model
- Healthcare Provider/Biller Revenue: The KarunaHOME program is prescribed by healthcare providers and billed through insurance. Revenue flows through healthcare billing channels including workers' compensation and health plan reimbursements. Providers prescribe the program, patients receive the device kit, and the program cost is covered through medical insurance.
- Workers' Compensation Program: Program specifically designed for workers' compensation patients, where authorization comes from clinicians and the program is covered under workers' comp insurance. The 12-week FABT program is sent to patients once authorized.
- Health Plan Coverage: Program is covered through health insurance plans including major carriers. Health systems and insurers track patient outcomes and program effectiveness through the provider portal.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Insurance-covered 12-week program |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Karuna Labs product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Karuna Labs delivers KarunaHOME, a 12-week at-home chronic pain relief program that pairs proprietary virtual reality software (Karuna Virtual Embodiment Training/KVET™) with AI-enabled personalization and dedicated pain coaching. The program is prescribed by healthcare providers, supported by a Provider Portal for real-time outcome tracking, and is FDA-Registered and HIPAA-Compliant. A specialized workers' compensation variant (Fear Avoidance Belief Training) is also offered.
Product overview
KarunaHOME by Karuna Labs is a unified digital therapeutic platform centered on its flagship KarunaHOME 12-week at-home chronic pain relief program. The platform combines proprietary Karuna Virtual Embodiment Training (KVET)™ technology with personalized coaching services. Patients receive a KarunaHOME Kit containing a hardware device and workbook, and work with dedicated KarunaHOME Coaches throughout the program. Healthcare providers can monitor progress via the KarunaHOME Provider Portal. A specialized variant called Fear Avoidance Belief Training (FABT) targets workers' compensation patients.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Karuna Virtual Embodiment Training (KVET): Proprietary digital therapeutic software using immersive VR experiences to help change the sense of self, retraining the brain to reduce chronic pain sensation.
Products and services
- KarunaHOME A 12-week at-home chronic pain relief program that combines proprietary Karuna Virtual Embodiment Training (KVET)™ VR neurotechnology with personalized behavioral coaching to help patients unlearn chronic pain and regain function. Prescribed by healthcare providers and billed through insurance (health plans and workers' compensation); patients receive a hardware kit and complete weekly virtual coaching sessions in English and Spanish.
- KarunaHOME Provider Portal A dedicated web portal for healthcare providers to track patient progress in real time, including more than 20 quantitative and qualitative measurements such as Program Compliance, Range of Motion, Behavioral Measurements, Work Status, and Medication Reduction.
- Fear Avoidance Belief Training (FABT) A specialized variant of KarunaHOME focused on Fear Avoidance Belief Training for workers' compensation patients, designed to decrease fear avoidance beliefs, improve function, decrease medication usage, and accelerate maximum medical improvement (MMI). The 12-week device kit is shipped to patients once authorized by a clinician.
Quantifiable outcome
- 98% of patients improved, 66% pain-free or nearly pain-free at end of treatment (PRT Boulder Back Study)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Karuna Labs
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Karuna Labs technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability3 records
Feature5 records
Karuna Labs partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- UCSFcoreUCSF is conducting a randomized controlled trial on KarunaHOME for patients with general chronic shoulder pain. This is an active research partnership with Dr. Michael Trujillo, PhD listed as principal investigator.
- Penn MedicinecorePenn Medicine is conducting the inpatient PRISM trial (Pain Relief with Individualized Brain Stimulation) in collaboration with Karuna Labs. Dr. Prasad Shirvalkar MD PhD and Dr. Michael Ashburn MD MPH MBA are involved as principal investigators.
- Georgia State UniversityminorDr. Sujay Galen PhD, Chair of Department of Physical Therapy, is conducting a randomized controlled trial on patients with chronic low back pain.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Karuna Labs competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Hinge Health: Hinge Health is the leading digital MSK and chronic pain solution, combining app-based exercise therapy with remote coaches and (more recently) wearable sensors. It is the closest direct competitor to Karuna Labs given overlapping employer, payer, and health-system channels for non-surgical MSK care.
- Sword Health: Sword Health delivers virtual MSK and chronic pain programs combining AI-driven motion tracking with licensed physical therapists. It directly competes with KarunaHOME for employer, health plan, and workers' compensation contracts.
- AppliedVR: AppliedVR is a virtual reality therapeutic platform focused on chronic pain, with an FDA-authorized at-home VR device (RelieVRx) for lower back pain. It is the most direct VR-therapeutic peer to Karuna Labs' KVET-based approach.
- XRHealth: XRHealth operates a VR-based telehealth platform for chronic pain, neurological, and behavioral conditions, combining clinician-led virtual care with FDA-registered VR devices. Comparable to Karuna Labs in modality, channel, and chronic-pain focus.
Broad incumbents
- Omada Health: Omada Health is a large digital therapeutics incumbent focused on diabetes prevention, hypertension, and musculoskeletal care, selling to employers, payers, and health systems. It competes for the same payer contracting dollars as Karuna Labs while operating a much broader chronic-condition portfolio.
- Teladoc Health: Teladoc Health, including the Livongo chronic-condition platform, is a large virtual care incumbent with chronic care and MSK capabilities. It represents a scaled, broad incumbent that competes for payer and employer chronic-pain spend.
Emerging players
- Omny Health (formerly Limber Health / Joint Academy): Joint Academy delivers digital MSK and chronic joint pain programs, often via employer and payer channels. It is a focused emerging player in the same chronic MSK/pain category as Karuna Labs.
- Wysa: Wysa is an AI-driven mental health and chronic-pain coaching platform combining chat-based CBT, human coaching, and employer/payer distribution. Adjacent to Karuna Labs in coaching-led digital therapeutics and payer GTM, with some overlap in the biopsychosocial pain space.
- Kaia Health: Kaia Health offers a digital MSK and chronic pain app combining exercise therapy, education, and AI-driven coaching, sold through employers and payers. Direct functional overlap with KarunaHOME on the app-and-coaching chronic-pain model.
- Mahana Therapeutics: Mahana Therapeutics is a digital therapeutics company developing prescription digital therapeutics for chronic conditions, including gut-brain and pain indications. It is a relevant emerging peer in the prescription digital therapeutic (PDT) regulatory and payer pathway that Karuna Labs operates in.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Karuna Labs social profiles
Digital presenceKaruna Labs compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Karuna Labs financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Karuna Labs leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Karuna Labs funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors10 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Karuna Labs 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 Karuna Labs
What does Karuna Labs do?
Karuna Labs delivers KarunaHOME, a 12-week at-home chronic pain relief program that pairs proprietary virtual reality software (Karuna Virtual Embodiment Training/KVET™) with AI-enabled personalization and dedicated pain coaching. The program is prescribed by healthcare providers, supported by a Provider Portal for real-time outcome tracking, and is FDA-Registered and HIPAA-Compliant. A specialized workers' compensation variant (Fear Avoidance Belief Training) is also offered.
Is Karuna Labs a public or private company?
Karuna Labs is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Karuna Labs founded?
Karuna Labs was founded in 2017. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Karuna Labs based?
Karuna Labs is headquartered in Ione, United States, in the North America region.
How does Karuna Labs make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Healthcare Provider/Biller Revenue is the primary driver. The others are workers' Compensation Program and health Plan Coverage.
Who are Karuna Labs's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Hinge Health, Sword Health, AppliedVR and XRHealth. Broad incumbents are Omada Health and Teladoc Health. Emerging players are Omny Health (formerly Limber Health / Joint Academy), Wysa, Kaia Health and Mahana Therapeutics.
Does Karuna Labs have an API?
No public API is recorded for Karuna Labs.
What industry is Karuna Labs in?
Karuna Labs's product category is Digital Therapeutics for Chronic Pain. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLALAFAF, Medication Adherence, Digital Therapeutics & Remote Coaching (condition-specific programs), with a secondary code of HLALACAI, Virtual PT/OT/MSK & Rehab Programs (Payer-Sponsored). Its NAICS code is 62134 and its SIC code is 8082.