Frontera Health – a pioneer in advancing health equity through AI-enabled autism care – announced the launch of the company and its Seed fundraising. The $32 million seed funding was co-led by Lux Capital and Lightspeed Venture Partners, with Bison Ventures, Menlo Ventures, and Inspired Capital participating. And Frontera’s solutions are specifically designed to enhance the efficiency of clinicians and BCBAs – while providing a seamless user experience.
Based on a limited basis, the company introduced its multi-modal Frontera Digital Phenotyping solution, an AI-powered digital phenotyping technology that transforms how children access and receive treatment. And this solution is trained by experienced clinicians to analyze therapeutic sessions in unprecedented detail – at the level of 30 frames per second.
This system provides real-time cognitive reasoning and objective data points by tracking crucial interactions and behaviors, while generating comprehensive and unbiased assessments. And this solution enables clinicians to provide more precise, data-driven care while expanding access to early intervention services. Frontera is also commercializing diagnoses and assessment solutions.
Frontera’s proprietary AI solutions empower Diagnosticians & Board-Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) so they can overcome administrative barriers that limit access to care. And as a result, clinicians can see more children, reduce tedious tasks and paperwork, and facilitate faster turnaround time to diagnoses and care.
For example, Frontera’s Diagnosis Builder helps clinicians deliver diagnostic reports in half the time. And Frontera’s AI solutions analyze, infer, and reason with unstructured data in voice, text, and inputs from other formats. Frontera’s Assessment Builder enables BCBAs to complete personalized and comprehensive assessment reports in just 2-3 hours.
Amol Deshpande (CEO and Co-Founder of Frontera), a startup founder, investor, and executive, previously served as partner at Kleiner Perkins, where he was the first investor of Beyond Meat. And after Kleiner Perkins, he co-founded and served as the CEO of Farmers Business Network for nearly a decade. Deshpande also runs his own VC fund, Divergent Investments, which focuses on supporting innovative startups in healthtech and edtech, as well as startups helping solve problems for neurodiverse communities.
Frontera will soon open its first Innovation Center, a premier ABA clinic offering diagnostic and therapeutic services.
KEY QUOTES:
“As a parent of a son with autism, I saw firsthand how challenging the system is for clinicians. Faster diagnoses and accelerated care lead directly to better outcomes later in life. We’re proud to work with BCBAs to empower them to bring quality care to more communities, especially rural and underserved communities that have historically been overlooked.”
– Amol Deshpande, CEO and Co-Founder of Frontera
“AI has the power to fundamentally change how we diagnose and deliver care, but it needs to work hand-in-hand with clinicians. Frontera’s technology is built to do precisely that: by supporting and augmenting the expertise of clinicians. Frontera is a powerful example of the impact AI can make in healthcare.”
– Bilal Zuberi, who co-led the investment for Lux Capital
“In healthcare, the most impactful companies drive both patient outcomes and operational efficiency. Frontera is doing exactly that, empowering clinicians with multimodal AI tools to thoughtfully measure and manage neurodevelopmental conditions at a fidelity never before possible. We’re energized by the potential of the Frontera approach and the transformative impact it can have on patient and clinician lives.”
– Galym Imanbayev, MD, who co-led the investment for Lightspeed Venture Partners
