Since our first client (a 15 year-old girl struggling with anxiety and low self-esteem) began working with Joon Care in April 2020, we have had the privilege of supporting clients experiencing a broad range of challenges and symptoms from relationship problems, to addictive behaviors, stress, severe depression and self-injury.
But, what’s most rewarding, is that our unique formula of one-on-one therapy sessions and personalized mental health skill-building exercises is having a meaningful, positive, and, in some cases, lifesaving impact on the lives of our clients. Skilled, empathetic and well-matched therapists, plus a great client experience that is purpose-built for the distinct clinical needs and preferences of teens and young adults, works.
As measured by overall reduction of symptoms as well as recovery rates from clinical and severe anxiety and depression, Joon Care’s personalized, engaging, and evidence-based model of care has proven to be effective across a diverse and growing client base.
As a founder, one of the most gratifying parts of the startup journey is seeing the product you envisioned come to life and do good in the world. I am incredibly proud of the hard work and dedication our team has put into realizing this vision and supporting our clients.
But this is just the beginning for Joon Care! We have several updates to share including additional financing, exciting growth initiatives, and a fantastic, new CEO (Emily Pesce!) to lead the company forward. Read on for more details.
We recently raised an additional $3 million from a great group of investors including Pioneer Square Ventures, Route 66 Ventures, Cercano Management, and City Light Capital to continue to expand our reach and impact.
This expansion will include extending access to Joon Care beyond the states in which we support clients today as well as continuing to enhance the market-leading tools and resources we provide to our clients and therapists. We will also be augmenting our support for clients with disordered eating, OCD behaviors, trauma, and other specialty mental health needs.
As Rachel Parlier, Vice President at City Light Capital, recently shared, “Joon Care is uniquely positioned to address the growing adolescent mental health crisis by delivering high-quality and impactful care at-scale. We are excited for the role Joon will play in addressing what is one of the most important challenges of our time.”
Not surprisingly, cost is a primary barrier to mental health care for many families. To help address this issue, we’re contracting with health insurance companies to make Joon Care more accessible and affordable. First out of the gate is our partnership with Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield in Pennsylvania (one of the top 10 largest health insurers in the United States) through which Joon Care is now an in-network provider. Joon Care is also now a covered benefit for employees of select companies via our partnership with ComPsych.
In the coming months and as we head into 2023, we will be adding partnerships that will expand access to Joon Care to tens of millions of additional families across a growing geographic footprint. We will also continue to offer a sliding fee scale to families who require financial support to access care.
To lead the initiatives described above and Joon Care to its next phase of growth, we’re also adding to our executive team. I’m very pleased to share that Emily Pesce is joining the company as our next CEO. To me, our people, our purpose and our product have always been the keys to Joon Care’s success, and it is with great confidence and enthusiasm that I am passing these keys to Emily. Em’s professional experience (most recently, as VP of Product at Varsity Tutors where she built virtual spaces for students and educators to connect), along with her personal commitment to Joon Care’s mission, make her the perfect leader for the company as we continue our work to improve the lives and well-being of youth, young adults, and their families.
In Emily’s words, “The youth of our nation are facing a mental health epidemic, which has been exacerbated by the pandemic. Through my own experience and community, I am aware of how mental health needs can be difficult, prevalent and, tragically, often untreated. To be part of Joon’s phenomenal team – focused on achieving this ambitious mission to impact lives – is a career-defining opportunity that I can’t wait to start.”
Our therapists, clinical leadership, product and client service teams are what make Joon Care special. Our team cares deeply about each other and the reason we’re here. We’re all about supporting our clients and their families with high-quality, effective mental health care.
If you’re a therapist who loves working with teens and young adults or a technologist who wants to know that your work is having a meaningful, positive impact, we’d love to hear from you.
Finally, a personal note… None of what we’ve accomplished to date at Joon Care would be possible without our amazing team and therapists and the investors who believed in our vision. Thank you!
In particular, I want to express my gratitude to my co-founder, Amy Mezulis. Amy’s incredible expertise and inexhaustible dedication to supporting our therapists and delivering the highest-quality mental health care to our clients has been a constant guiding light for our company.
I’m as excited as I’ve ever been about what’s ahead for Joon Care. As a founder, strategic advisor, and member of the Board of Directors, I look forward to continuing to pursue our mission to make engaging, personalized and evidence-based mental health care accessible to teens, young adults and their families, and to partnering with Emily as she leads this important work forward.
