Coral Care Raises $1.3 Million Pre-seed Round

Jennifer Wirt

New York-based Coral Care, which is building a healthcare platform to elevate standards of care for children with distinct needs, has raised $1.3 million in a pre-seed round, according to a recent listing on Crunchbase.

San Francisco-based Reach Capital and PurposeBuilt Ventures, where Coral Care founder Jennifer Wirt is a venture partner, are the most recent investors, Crunchbase said, adding that the year-old startup has four backers in all.

“Our mission is to help families find the right developmental specialists their children need to thrive, in a way that’s simple, affordable, and trustworthy,” Writ said once in a LinkedIn post.

Coral Care is a “deeply personal” venture to Wirt. As a parent, she says she was frustrated watching her daughter miss early milestones, and still unable to find due support. “The long wait lists, lack of in-network providers, and high costs of private specialists inspired me to create a better solution,” said Wirt, who has previously worked at Oar Health.

Wirt’s daughter, now 6, is doing well and “climbing to new heights,” but “I’m woefully aware that her capabilities and confidence have been hindered by the delays she experienced due to a lack of timely care. I don’t want any parent to have to experience what I did, which is what drives me everyday to make Coral Care the best place for parents and providers.”

Coral Care is developing a “curated” network of local, vetted pediatric specialists who will be available for immediate appointments and accept insurance, too. Providers would range from speech-language pathologists to physical therapists, occupational therapists, and others.

Wirt says her company would enable women to have “thriving careers on their own terms.” With over 90% of pediatric developmental providers being female, many of whom are moms, Coral Care will ensure work-life balance, she said.