What TAO Connect does

TAO Connect, Inc. is a US-based digital mental health company that builds and licenses a cloud-based platform (TAO, or Therapist-Assisted Online) delivering evidence-based behavioral therapies including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Behavioral Activation, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Harm Reduction, and Relapse Prevention. The platform comprises 150+ interactive sessions covering 50+ mental health, wellness, and substance use topics, supported by validated progress instruments (PHQ-9, GAD-7, WHO-5), mindfulness exercises, journaling, and dashboards for therapists, administrators, and patients. The underlying technology includes NSF-funded research outputs (NSF STTR Phase I Award 1448967 and NSF SBIR Phase II Award 1631871) developed with the University of Florida and Georgia Tech University, adding automated emotional valence prediction and cognitive distortion detection to the therapy flow.

The company operates a B2B2C enterprise software licensing model, selling multi-year subscriptions to institutions including higher education counseling centers (its founding segment, with documented deployments at 15 college mental health clinics and a 700-patient benchmarking study), healthcare systems for patient screening and employee wellness, and employers for HR/EAP programs. A separate TAO Self-Guided subscription and iOS/Android mobile apps enable individual access; LMS-integrated curriculum modules with embedded gradebooks support for-credit academic use cases. Distribution runs through direct enterprise sales with a dedicated Partner Success Manager model, alongside self-serve portals for US (us.taoconnect.org) and Canadian (ca.taoconnect.org, with French support) users.

TAO Connect was founded in 2014 by Sherry Benton and is headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida, with research ties to Gainesville and Atlanta. In March 2024 the company was acquired by UpLift, a US-based payment solutions provider focused on higher education, and continues to operate as a branded subsidiary within UpLift's on-campus platform. Cumulative disclosed funding totals approximately $4.73M, predominantly from NSF grants and Florida-based angel/accelerator investors (Healthbox, DeepWork Capital, Florida Funders, New World Angels, Florida Institute for the Commercialization of Florida Technology).

Name

TAO Connect

Legal name

TAO Connect, Inc.

Website

https://taoconnect.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

TAO Connect is a digital mental health platform that licenses evidence-based CBT, ACT, and behavioral therapy content to universities, healthcare systems, and employers via cloud, mobile, and LMS integration, serving more than 15 college counseling centers and operating in the US and Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Mental Health Software

NAICS

Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Virtual Behavioral Health Integration Platforms (HLALABAE), Integrated Behavioral Health (Collaborative Care) Platforms (HLALAEAC)

Keywords

• Digital mental health platform
• Online therapy software
• Campus counseling technology
• Behavioral health solutions
• Employee wellness programs

Headquarters

HQ city

St. Petersburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Enterprise Software Licensing: TAO licenses its platform to institutions including universities, healthcare organizations, and employers on a subscription basis. License fees are set forth in separate documentation provided to customers, indicating a quote-based B2B model rather than public pricing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

TAO Connect sells a cloud-based digital mental health platform (Therapist-Assisted Online) that delivers evidence-based therapeutic content and self-guided interventions to institutions and individuals. The core platform provides 150+ interactive sessions covering mental health, wellness, and substance use across CBT, ACT, Behavioral Activation, Motivational Interviewing, and Harm Reduction modalities, with progress tracking via validated instruments (PHQ-9, GAD-7, WHO-5), therapist and administrator dashboards, and LMS integration. The company operates a B2B2C licensing model for universities, healthcare organizations, and employers, with additional direct self-guided access for individual consumers via US and Canadian portals and mobile apps.

Product overview

TAO Connect offers a unified digital mental health platform consisting of the core TAO (Therapist-Assisted Online) system plus specialized modules for Higher Education, Healthcare, and Employers/HR & EAP. The platform provides over 150 interactive sessions covering mental health, wellness, and substance use topics, along with practice tools, mindfulness exercises, and journaling. TAO Self-Guided enables individual access, while institutional implementations leverage LMS-compatible curriculum modules. The platform is accessible via web, iOS, and Android applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• TAO (Therapist-Assisted Online) Platform Core cloud-based digital mental health platform providing over 150 interactive educational sessions, mindfulness exercises, journaling, and practice tools for institutions and individuals addressing anxiety, depression, stress, and substance use.
• TAO Self-Guided Self-directed subscription version of the TAO platform enabling individual users to learn new skills, develop coping strategies, and address mental health concerns privately at their own pace.
• TAO for Higher Education LMS-compatible mental health curriculum modules for colleges and universities covering first-year transition, stress management, focus/ADHD, alcohol literacy, and sexual assault prevention, embeddable in course gradebooks.
• TAO for Healthcare Mental health resources for healthcare organizations including patient screening for anxiety, depression, substance use, well-being, and trauma; progress tracking using GAD-7, PHQ-9, and WHO-5; and content for employee burnout and communication training.
• TAO for Employers / HR & EAP Employee mental health programs including professional competency training (communication, problem-solving, emotional intelligence, mindfulness), onboarding training (harassment prevention, diversity), self-guided programs for common concerns, and certificate programs.
• TAO Mobile App Mobile applications for iOS and Android devices enabling access to TAO sessions, mindfulness exercises, journaling, and progress tracking on the go.

Quantifiable outcome

• 89% User Satisfaction
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• University of FloridacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership with University of Florida for clinical trials and development of intelligent mental health therapy system. The TAO research team has over three decades of experience researching treatment effectiveness with university partners. Published peer-reviewed research demonstrating TAO's efficacy compared to traditional therapy.
• Georgia Tech UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership for developing automated emotional valence prediction and automatic detection and classification of cognitive distortions in mental health text using deep transfer learning. Contributed to NSF-funded intelligent mental health therapy system development.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Mantra Health: Digital mental health platform purpose-built for US colleges and universities, offering teletherapy, psychiatry, and self-guided content — directly competing with TAO in the higher education vertical and the same LMS-integrated curriculum use case.
• Uwill: Teletherapy and mental health services platform focused on college students, partnering with institutions to provide on-demand counseling — competes with TAO for university counseling center contracts and student self-help usage.
• SilverCloud Health: Evidence-based digital CBT platform serving health systems, insurers, and employers; comparable in offering protocolled online CBT programs with validated progress measures, now part of Amwell's broader virtual care portfolio.
• Lyra Health: Enterprise mental health benefits platform combining self-guided digital programs (including CBT-based content) with live therapy and coaching; overlaps with TAO's employer/EAP vertical on digital self-help and outcomes reporting.
• Modern Health: Global mental health platform for employers delivering self-guided digital content, coaching, therapy, and progress measurement — directly comparable to TAO's employer offerings and validated-instrument approach.

Broad incumbents

• Headspace Health: Large incumbent combining Headspace's consumer mindfulness content with Ginger's on-demand therapy for enterprise and health plan customers; competes with TAO across employer and healthcare segments with much greater brand recognition.
• Spring Health: Employer-focused precision mental health platform with self-guided digital modules, therapy, and provider matching; comparable on B2B distribution model and validated outcome measurement.
• BetterHelp: Largest online therapy marketplace operated by Teladoc Health; competes for the same end-user mental health demand that TAO serves via institutions, though via a consumer marketplace model rather than enterprise licensing.

Emerging players

• Kognito: Developer of mental health simulation and learning experiences for higher education and healthcare workforce — overlaps with TAO's LMS-embedded, for-credit curriculum use case on college campuses.

Others

• Calm: Consumer and enterprise meditation, mindfulness, and sleep platform with employer partnerships; adjacent competitor in the self-guided mental wellness category rather than clinical CBT, but overlapping on employer benefits buyers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/taoconnect
• Facebookfacebook.com/TAOConnectinc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tao-connect

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds7 records

Investors7 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 TAO Connect