Today Innerwell, a first-of-its-kind psychedelic teletherapy platform, emerged from stealth and announced $3M in pre-seed funding led by Greycroft, alongside participation from Looking Glass, Max Ventures, and other prominent angel investors. Led by a team with extensive health tech and clinical experience, Innerwell is combining the groundbreaking advancements seen in psychedelics with novel approaches to digital care and a focus on creating therapeutic relationships between patients and highly trained, licensed providers. Innerwell's licensed therapists guide patients through experiences that leverage the biological and cognitive effects of psychedelics as a mechanism for inner change and well-being.
“We built Innerwell to help the 65 million Americans suffering from mental illness each year,” said Lisa Kennedy, founder and CEO. “We are creating a collaborative environment in which psychiatrists and therapists can work side-by-side to apply the irreplaceable human lens to patients' therapeutic explorations, and we are building the infrastructure to capture key behavioral health measurements that allow us to optimize for patient outcomes.”
The newest entrant into a psychedelics market expected to grow to more than $10B within the next five years, Innerwell recognizes that the already-critical need for integrated and accessible mental health care is only growing due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Each approach to mental health care must be highly personalized for the individual, and there is a growing body of evidence and research showing that the combination of psychedelic medicine and psychotherapy is especially beneficial for those suffering from ongoing mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression.
Innerwell is the first company focused on commercially scaling true ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, where patients are diagnosed by licensed medical professionals and have the option to receive therapy from a licensed psychotherapist during their psychedelic experience. Unlike others in this growing space, Innerwell focuses on a unique care pathway that emphasizes the therapy element of treatment, with medicine playing a supporting role. Moreover, Innerwell is delivering a truly integrated care model that combines medicine, therapy, and ongoing digital care via peer-to-peer support with other patients undergoing similar treatments and an app with guided meditations and other helpful content. The company is also working towards expanding the gold standard model of psychedelic therapy for at-home and in-person treatment aided by groundbreaking medicine like psilocybin and MDMA, once these have completed FDA trials and are approved.
“The current situation for most patients is fragmented, with therapists, psychiatrists and digital apps all in their own silos,” said Medical Director, Dr. Garrett Deckel, M.D. “Innerwell is focusing on what we know works best–a highly integrated, individualized approach to treating mental health conditions.”
Starting today, Innerwell is opening up to recruit clinicians. Highly advanced training is required to work with patients who are prescribed mind-altering medications, and Innerwell's approach is to provide licensed therapists with access to the necessary specialized courses while surrounding them with a dedicated team of experts. Innerwell is creating a network of psychiatrists and licensed therapists who will undergo foundational courses in psychotherapy in partnership with industry leader Fluence Training.
“Innerwell is increasing patient access to groundbreaking pharmacological developments that are changing the mental health industry,” said Ellie Wheeler, Partner at Greycroft. “The Innerwell team is making promising progress on the human and relational elements of psychedelic therapy and Greycroft is excited to support them at this early stage. We remain committed to working with companies like Innerwell that are doing innovative work that spans across multiple sectors.”
Licensed therapists, counselors, social workers, psychologists, or prescribing clinicians looking to get involved should visit www.helloinnerwell.com/join to apply. Future patients can also sign up for Innerwell's wait list.
About Innerwell
Innerwell is a revolutionary psychedelic therapy platform with an emphasis on therapy. Founded in New York City in 2021, Innerwell is combining the groundbreaking advancements seen in psychedelics with novel approaches to digital care and a focus on creating therapeutic relationships between patients and highly trained, licensed providers. A female-led company, the Innerwell co-founder team consists of CEO Lisa Kennedy, Head of Growth Anthony Mangia, and Medical Director Dr. Garrett Deckel. Dr. Deckel holds an M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and a Ph.D. in Philosophy of Mind & Ethics from Princeton University. She is MAPS certified and uses ketamine-assisted psychotherapy in her private psychiatric practice today. For more information, visit www.helloinnerwell.com/join.
— WebWireID289826 —
