Lantern Gets Early Funding for Mental Health Therapy App

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By Reuters | Updated: 25 October 2014 10:57 IST

Lantern, a technology startup that offers online and mobile coaching programs to support mental health, has won early backing for its service.

Executives at the 2-year-old startup said on Friday it has raised $4.4 million from investors led by Silicon Valley-based venture firm Mayfield, with seed funding from SoftTechVC. Facebook Inc Chief Product Officer Chris Cox is serving as an advisor.

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While most patients visit therapists at a physical office, Lantern said its founding team has found that researchers support the concept of online coaching, with occasional check-ins from mental health professionals.

For $49 a month or $300 a year, Lantern's service tailors programs for each customer based on a profile created by answering online questions such as, "Is your life meaningful and purposeful?" Lantern will connect each customer with a coach.

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Lantern's online and mobile tools teach calming behaviors such as muscle relaxation and deep breathing to help people cope with anxiety, body image issues, stress or even relationships.

Coaches, who take a cut of the monthly fee, will regularly check in via SMS to offer encouragement and feedback.

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Internet-based programs to support mental health, while growing in popularity, have only recently gained support from investors. Just a year ago, Lantern Chief Executive Alejandro Foung said, most venture capitalists would not "touch the space." but now there is a growing interest in these digital services.

To develop the service, Foung said Lantern worked closely with researchers at Stanford University, Washington University in St. Louis and Pennsylvania State University.

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The National Institutes of Health recently granted the company $4 million to study how to prevent eating disorders and improve body image on campus. Thirty colleges are participating in this study and are offering students free access to Lantern.

© Thomson Reuters 2014

 

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Further reading: Apps, Lantern, SMS, Startup, Website
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