According to the Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance, maternal mental health (MMH) conditions are the most common complications of pregnancy and childbirth, affecting 1 in 5 women, or 800,000 women each year in the United States. These conditions include depression, anxiety disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar illness, and substance use disorders.
Despite the prevalence of these conditions, though, 75% of these women go untreated due to barriers that include lack of access
That’s where Canopie comes in: the company, which is dedicated to providing mental health resources to pregnant women and new moms, announced an undisclosed amount of funding on Wednesday from Virginia Venture Partners, the equity investment program of Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation.
Founded in 2020, Canopie works with health plans, integrated delivery networks, and self-insured employers to provide its app, which uses clinically-validated techniques and automated, customized coaching to prevent and treat mental health conditions, to new and expecting mothers.
After downloading the Canopie app, users answer a series of questions that around the specific problems they are encountering; for example, if they are struggling with with sleep, feeding, relationships, identity, or bonding. Canopie then uses those responses to create a program tailored to that patient’s particular needs.
Users have access to 12-day programs with audio sessions for less than 12 minutes per day, which helps them learn and practice techniques to manage stress, anxious thoughts, and low mood. The app also provides them with stories from other parents, as well as practical tips from other users.
The company says that 100% of its users reported a positive change in emotional health and 98% of its users said they would refer a friend to the program. A 2021 study from Canopie also found that 79% of users in the program with symptoms of depression experienced a clinically significant change in their mood.
Canopie says it will use the new funding to secure early customers in healthcare delivery, as a way validate that its product is ready for larger scale.
“Mental health care should be as standard as taking a prenatal vitamin and every mother deserves to have accessible tools to help manage the inevitable ups and downs that come with motherhood,” Canopie CEO Anne Wanlund said in a statement.
“The Canopie app is built on evidence-based techniques and provides a venue to reduce the enormous gap in care and help parents navigate the challenges that come with becoming a new parent. We thank VIPC’s Virginia Venture Partners investment to help continue our growth and provide care to new and future moms.”