Forta Healthcare: $55M Series A to Scale AI-Driven Parent-Led Autism Therapy and Expand Services

Synopsis:

Forta, an AI-enabled family-powered autism therapy provider, recently secured $55 million in a Series A funding round led by Insight Partners. This investment aims to expand Forta's AI and LLM research, develop clinical algorithms, and grow its platform, which combines AI and 50-hour training to empower parents as registered behavior technicians (RBTs) for their children with autism. The initiative is set to improve access to applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy and has already supported hundreds of families since its inception.

- Forta utilizes LLMs and AI to enhance ABA therapy for autism, based on learning and behavior principles, including positive reinforcement.
- Parent-led ABA, which Forta helps train, somewhat harkens back to the roots of ABA.
- The Series A round includes investors like Exor Ventures, Alumni Ventures, and organizations connected to Forward, Flexport, Warby Parker, Prelude Fertility, and 23&Me.
- Insight Partners, the funding leader, is motivated by Forta's potential to improve care by empowering local and family caregivers with AI-based tools and education to deliver earlier and more effective interventions.
- 2020 figures indicate approximately 1 in 36 children in the U.S. was identified as having autism spectrum disorder (ASD) according to the CDC.
- Forta has published peer-reviewed studies demonstrating an improvement of three-quarters of pediatric patients achieving therapy goal achievement.
- Parents in 45 states currently eligible to participate in the program, which includes a free 50-hour training course and structured learning time with their child.
- Forta is collaborating with seven large payers and multiple state government programs to expand its AI-based autism therapy and research opportunities for other chronic conditions.