What Hamaguchi & Associates does

Hamaguchi & Associates, operating since 2024 as Bright Stars Speech (legal entity: Bright Stars Pediatric Speech Therapy, Inc.), is a privately held pediatric speech-language pathology practice founded in 1996 by Patti Hamaguchi in Cupertino, California. The firm provides comprehensive speech-language assessments, individual therapy, group/social skills therapy, the Hanen 'More Than Words' parent-training program, AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) assessments, and Zoom-based teletherapy to children up to age 12. Its clinical focus spans preschool speech and language delays, autism spectrum disorders, pronunciation difficulties, auditory processing disorders, apraxia/oral motor-speech disorders, expressive language weakness, and bilingual/trilingual language learning, with on-staff Cantonese- and Mandarin-speaking therapists. The practice also distributes a portfolio of 16 proprietary mobile applications in the Apple App Store (with recent expansion to Google Play) that reinforce home practice, and the firm's founder is co-author/author of multiple widely-used standardized clinical assessment instruments.

The business model is a fee-for-service clinical practice with multiple revenue streams: per-session individual therapy (pay-as-you-go), comprehensive assessments billed at twice the standard therapy rate, group therapy and Hanen parent-training programs priced per participant, and one-time mobile app licensing through app-store distribution. A freemium 15-minute informal consultation serves as the top-of-funnel conversion mechanism, while professional referrals from other Bay Area speech-language pathologists — who reportedly recognize the practice as the 'gold standard' for assessments — constitute the primary acquisition channel. Distribution is direct-to-consumer across in-person office visits (Cupertino, relocating to San Jose in July 2026), in-home and in-school appointments within the South Bay, and Zoom teletherapy extending reach across California.

Operationally, the firm is founder-owned and bootstrapped with no disclosed external funding, 1-10 employees, and no AI/ML capability layer. Its competitive positioning rests on the founder's authorship of standardized clinical tests, the proprietary child-centered and multisensory therapeutic approach (featured at the November 2025 ASHA Convention and the subject of an upcoming 2026 book published by Academic Therapy Publications), and nearly three decades of accumulated clinical reputation in the Bay Area market.

Name

Hamaguchi & Associates

Legal name

Bright Stars Pediatric Speech Therapy, Inc.

Website

https://hamaguchiandassociates.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hamaguchi & Associates (now Bright Stars Speech) is a Cupertino-based pediatric speech-language pathology practice founded in 1996, providing assessments, individual and group therapy, Hanen parent training, and teletherapy to children up to age 12 with speech delays, autism, and related disorders in the Bay Area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pediatric Speech-Language Pathology Services

NAICS

Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists (621340), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Autism Communication Support (AAC, Pragmatics & Language) (EDAKAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Speech Sound Disorders (Articulation/Phonology) Intervention (EDAKAEAD), Teletherapy / Remote Speech-Language Therapy (School-Age) (EDAKAEAL), Language Disorders Intervention (Receptive/Expressive, Morphology/Syntax/Semantics) (EDAKAEAE), SLP Consultation, Teacher/Parent Coaching & Home Program Support (EDAKAEAN), Group Therapy and Peer-Mediated Communication Programs (School-Age) (EDAKAEAO)

Keywords

• Pediatric speech therapy
• Speech language pathology
• Child speech assessments
• AAC communication support
• Speech therapy apps

Headquarters

HQ city

Cupertino

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Therapy Sessions: Primary revenue stream from one-on-one speech-language therapy sessions delivered in-person at the office, via teletherapy (Zoom), or limited in-home/school appointments. Sessions are customized with games, puppets, toys, and creative strategies.
2. Comprehensive Assessments: Thorough, multi-faceted assessments using standardized tests, informal observations, parent input, and professional input. Assessment sessions are billed at twice the usual therapy rate. New clients typically require 1-2 assessment sessions.
3. Group Therapy Programs: Social skills groups tailored to children in the group, addressing skills like conversation, cooperative play, flexibility, and imaginative play. Also includes Hanen Parent-Training Programs ('More Than Words') delivered via Zoom to parents in their homes.
4. Mobile Application Licensing: The practice develops proprietary speech and language apps distributed through the App Store and Google Play. Families receiving services receive free app codes when beneficial; the apps are also available for purchase by the general public.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Hamaguchi & Associates (operating as Bright Stars Speech) is a private pediatric speech-language pathology practice that delivers comprehensive speech-language assessments, individualized therapy, group social-skills therapy, teletherapy via Zoom, and Hanen 'More Than Words' parent-training programs to children up to age 12. The practice supplements its therapy services with 16 proprietary iOS apps plus Android 'Between the Lines' apps that families can use to reinforce speech, language, and listening skills at home.

Product overview

Bright Stars Speech (formerly Hamaguchi & Associates) offers a comprehensive pediatric speech therapy practice founded in 1996, providing a unified suite of services including gold-standard speech-language assessments (with co-authored standardized tests by founder Patti Hamaguchi), individual and group therapy sessions, the Hanen 'More Than Words' parent-training program, and Zoom-based teletherapy. The practice complements its service offerings with a portfolio of 16 speech/language/listening skills apps in the iOS App Store, recently expanded with Between the Lines apps now available on Google Play for Android devices. Additional specialty services include AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) assessments and support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Speech-Language Assessments

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Academic Therapy PublicationscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Academic Therapy Publications is the publisher for the upcoming book 'A Child-Centered & Multi-Sensory Approach: Guiding Principles to Support the Development of Speech, Language, & Social Communication in Autistic Children' by Patti Hamaguchi and Kristen White, scheduled for late spring/early summer 2026 publication.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Better Speech: Online speech therapy marketplace serving children and adults via teletherapy. Comparable to Bright Stars in delivery modality (Zoom-based SLP), patient segments (pediatric speech/language delays), and asynchronous app-supported practice, competing for the same California teletherapy families.
• Great Speech: Online speech therapy provider delivering virtual SLP services to children and adults, including group sessions and assessments. Comparable to Bright Stars in virtual-first SLP delivery, focus on pediatric and adult communication disorders, and use of standardized assessments.
• PresenceLearning: Provider of live online speech, occupational, and behavioral therapy services delivered via teletherapy to K-12 schools. Comparable to Bright Stars in teletherapy modality and pediatric SLP focus, though Bright Stars serves families directly while PresenceLearning contracts with school districts.
• TinyEYE Therapy Services: Online speech-language pathology service that delivers therapy to children in schools via telepractice. Directly comparable to Bright Stars in SLP teletherapy delivery and pediatric focus, serving a similar therapeutic approach for speech and language delays.
• Expressable: Online pediatric speech therapy provider offering 1:1 sessions with licensed SLPs to families across multiple U.S. states. Directly comparable to Bright Stars Speech in target population (children with speech/language delays), service modality (in-person + teletherapy), and pay-per-session model, though at much larger scale and venture-funded.

Broad incumbents

• Soliant Health: Large healthcare staffing company placing speech-language pathologists, school psychologists, and other clinicians in schools and healthcare facilities nationwide. Adjacent competitor for pediatric SLP talent and a broader alternative for school districts that might otherwise partner with boutique practices like Bright Stars.
• EBS Healthcare: Established provider of school-based and pediatric speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, and behavioral services across the U.S. Comparable to Bright Stars in pediatric SLP focus and clinical methodology, but operating at much larger scale with a national staffing and teletherapy footprint.
• ProCare Therapy: National therapy staffing firm placing SLPs, OTs, and school psychologists in school and clinical settings. Comparable to Bright Stars in pediatric SLP service category, but operates at a broader staffing and teletherapy scale rather than a single-clinic model.

Others

• Super Duper Publications: Publisher of speech-language pathology educational materials, apps, and workbooks used by SLPs and parents. Comparable to Bright Stars' app/content strategy and serves the same pediatric speech-language practitioner and family buyer, but operates as an educational publisher/supplier rather than a clinical provider.

Regional players

• Bilingual Therapies: School-based staffing company placing bilingual speech-language pathologists and related clinicians across U.S. school districts. Comparable to Bright Stars on the bilingual (Spanish/other-language) SLP axis and pediatric school-age focus, though Bright Stars' in-house Cantonese/Mandarin capability is a narrower niche.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Hamaguchiandassociates

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Hamaguchi & Associates