ShockTalk
ShockTalk is a D2C, iOS-only telemental health subscription platform connecting Indigenous consumers with Indigenous mental health providers via HIPAA-compliant video, phone, and in-person sessions. Founded ~2018 and launched 2024, the cooperative is currently live in New York State.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What ShockTalk does
ShockTalk is a culturally tailored telemental health platform built for Indigenous peoples of the Americas and Pacific Islands, connecting individual consumers with Indigenous mental health providers. Founded around 2018 by Austin Serio (CEO, Chicoran Shakori tribe of South Carolina) and Sutton King (CFO, Menominee and Oneida Nations descendant), with Ariel Richer as Chief Impact Officer, the company targets Native American and Alaska Native populations facing disproportionately high rates of mental health challenges linked to historical and intergenerational trauma, and a documented shortage of culturally appropriate mental health services. The platform is operated as a cooperative rather than a conventional startup, with ownership intended for communities and workers involved in care delivery. Distribution is purely direct-to-consumer, currently through the iOS App Store only.
The core product is the ShockTalk Mobile App, a HIPAA-compliant telemental health platform that delivers video, phone, and in-person sessions, secure messaging, appointment scheduling (potentially via Calendly or similar tools), and push notifications for appointment reminders, provider matches, and wellness check-ins. Users search for providers by therapeutic specialty or tribal identity, book a free introductory appointment, and then confirm provider matches. The platform was developed over roughly six years by co-founder Austin Serio as a solo designer and engineer before commercial launch. Sensitive clinical documentation is kept in the provider's HIPAA-compliant systems, while the app is deliberately positioned as more private than consumer social messaging.
ShockTalk's revenue model is a monthly subscription priced at $9.99/month under a Founding Member Special (regularly $29.99/month), with memberships cancellable at any time and access retained through the end of the current billing cycle. The company does not disclose funding rounds, revenue, subscriber count, or external investors. As of the most recent source material, providers are live only in New York State, with platform and provider waitlists signaling planned geographic expansion. Marketing is conducted through organic channels — Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn — alongside app-store discovery.
ShockTalk firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ShockTalk
- Legal name
- ShockTalk
- Website
- https://shocktalk.io
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- ShockTalk is a D2C, iOS-only telemental health subscription platform connecting Indigenous consumers with Indigenous mental health providers via HIPAA-compliant video, phone, and in-person sessions. Founded ~2018 and launched 2024, the cooperative is currently live in New York State.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ShockTalk industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Telebehavioral Health
- NAICS
- Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420)
- SIC
- Services-Health Services (8000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Crisis Support, Suicide Prevention & Acute Behavioral Triage Platforms (HLALAEAI)
Keywords
Where ShockTalk is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
ShockTalk business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Subscription Membership: Monthly subscription model providing access to the Indigenous provider network, HIPAA-compliant video/phone/in-person sessions, secure messaging, and upcoming features including traditional facilitators, peer providers, and elders. Founding Member Special pricing at $9.99/month (reduced from $29.99) available until August 30th.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Founding Member Special - $9.99/month |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
ShockTalk product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ShockTalk operates a HIPAA-compliant mobile telemental health platform that connects Indigenous users with Indigenous mental health providers for therapy sessions. The iOS app supports video, phone, and in-person sessions, secure messaging, and provider matching by specialty or tribal identity, delivered through a monthly subscription membership model.
Product overview
ShockTalk is a single, unified telemental health mobile platform designed specifically for Indigenous peoples. The core offering is the ShockTalk Mobile App (iOS), which provides access to a network of Indigenous mental health providers via HIPAA-compliant video sessions, phone consultations, in-person appointments, and secure messaging. The platform also supports appointment scheduling and sends push notifications for appointment reminders, provider match notifications, wellness check-ins, and in-app messages.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- ShockTalk Mobile App A culturally tailored telemental health iOS application that connects Indigenous users with Indigenous mental health providers through HIPAA-compliant video, phone, and in-person sessions, plus secure messaging and provider matching by therapeutic specialty or tribal identity.
Companies that use ShockTalk
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
ShockTalk technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature5 records
ShockTalk partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights5 records
ShockTalk competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- BetterHelp: Largest direct-to-consumer teletherapy subscription service. Operates the same B2C subscription online-therapy model as ShockTalk but without cultural-tailoring or Indigenous provider curation; competes broadly for any user seeking convenient therapy access.
- Lyra Health: Mental health benefit platform sold primarily to employers, providing therapy and coaching access. Comparable in the behavioral-health platform category but distributes via B2B rather than D2C and is not culturally specialized.
- Spring Health: B2B mental health platform offering therapy, coaching, and psychiatry through employer benefits. Operates the same provider-matching-plus-teletherapy model as ShockTalk but at employer scale and across a general population.
Direct peers
- Two Chairs: Teletherapy practice combining in-person and virtual sessions with curated provider matching. Comparable client-to-therapist matching model, though without Indigenous specialization.
- Headway: Marketplace platform that matches patients with mental health providers, including insurance handling and provider-network scaling. Most directly comparable to ShockTalk in the provider-marketplace and matching mechanic, though operating at much broader scale and without cultural specialization.
- Cerebral: Subscription-based mental health telehealth platform offering therapy and medication management. Comparable D2C subscription motion and digital-only delivery model, although focuses on broad populations rather than a cultural niche.
- Sondermind: Telehealth behavioral health company combining provider matching with teletherapy delivery on a subscription/billing basis. Closely mirrors ShockTalk's provider-network-plus-teletherapy model, although without Indigenous cultural curation.
- Talkspace: Direct-to-consumer teletherapy platform offering video/text therapy with subscription pricing, similar in business model and target user (individuals seeking therapy). Lacks ShockTalk's Indigenous cultural-tailoring but competes for the same therapy demand.
Others
- Indian Health Service (IHS): Federal agency providing behavioral and physical health services to American Indians and Alaska Natives. The dominant institutional provider serving ShockTalk's target population; ShockTalk positions itself as a complementary culturally tailored telehealth layer for communities IHS serves.
Emerging players
- Therapy for Black Girls: Culturally tailored mental health directory/matching service aimed at Black women seeking providers who understand cultural context. Operates a similar cultural-competence-as-wedge thesis to ShockTalk, supporting the viability of culturally segmented teletherapy models.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
ShockTalk social profiles
Digital presenceShockTalk compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
ShockTalk financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ShockTalk leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
ShockTalk funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ShockTalk 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 ShockTalk
What does ShockTalk do?
ShockTalk operates a HIPAA-compliant mobile telemental health platform that connects Indigenous users with Indigenous mental health providers for therapy sessions. The iOS app supports video, phone, and in-person sessions, secure messaging, and provider matching by specialty or tribal identity, delivered through a monthly subscription membership model.
Is ShockTalk a public or private company?
ShockTalk is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was ShockTalk founded?
ShockTalk was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is ShockTalk based?
ShockTalk is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does ShockTalk make money?
One revenue line is on record: subscription Membership.
Who are ShockTalk's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are BetterHelp, Lyra Health and Spring Health. Direct peers are Two Chairs, Headway, Cerebral, Sondermind and Talkspace. Indian Health Service (IHS) is listed as an others. Therapy for Black Girls is listed as an emerging player.
Does ShockTalk have an API?
No public API is recorded for ShockTalk.
What industry is ShockTalk in?
ShockTalk's product category is Telebehavioral Health. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLALAEAI, Crisis Support, Suicide Prevention & Acute Behavioral Triage Platforms. Its NAICS code is 621420 and its SIC code is 8000.