Digital Mental Health Startup Raises $1.2M Pre-Seed to Expand Culturally-Responsive Care

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Jun 12, 2023, 09:00 ET

NEW YORK, June 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Anise Health, a culturally-responsive digital mental health company, completed their $1.2M pre-seed led by Kicker Ventures, with participation from Gold House Ventures, Allston Venture Fund, and strategic angels. Anise Health launched in California in 2022 to establish the gold standard of care for people of color (POC), starting with a focus on Asian Americans. Alongside this investment, Anise is expanding its services to New York and broadening payor partnerships to continue making its treatments more accessible.

Over the past 2 years, Asian Americans have reported the greatest increase in prevalence of depression and anxiety across all racial groups. 41% of Asian Americans are experiencing anxiety or depression, 62% of whom don't have access to effective treatment due to the exclusion of cultural factors in care and limited provider expertise. Moreso, evidence-based practices for psychological disorders have mostly been developed in Western contexts, with Asians representing 0.1% of trial participants.

Anise Health is addressing this mental health equity crisis by reimagining the end-to-end care journey. Anise's care model is tailored to address unique cultural stressors, and Anise's providers are trained in cultural sensitivity to ensure consistently high-quality care. The holistic suite of services for individuals includes online therapy, coaching, and self-guided resources. Anise also offers group services, including psychoeducational webinars and workshops, that meet organizations' DE&I and wellness needs.

"We're seeing a 97% completion rate of the first 4 sessions among our clients, compared to 50% POC dropout after one session. And we're seeing statistically significant symptom improvements in just 1 month of treatment," said Alice Zhang, co-founder of Anise. "We are proud of our preliminary data that demonstrates the power of culturally-responsive care."

About Anise Health:
Anise Health is a culturally-responsive digital mental health platform for people of color (POC), starting with Asian Americans. Anise incorporates culture and intersectionality into provider training and clinical interventions, which research shows to be 5x more effective than one-size-fits-all models. Leveraging machine learning technology, Anise matches clients to providers and integrates therapy, coaching, and self-guided resources into personalized treatment plans. Founded by two female alumni of Harvard Business School, Anise has shown remarkable outcomes since launching in 2022. New York and California residents can sign up by submitting an intake form on the website. Visit www.anisehealth.co or @anisehealth for more information.

SOURCE Anise Health