Motivo, a startup platform that new mental health providers can use to complete their training alongside a remote clinical supervisor, has announced a $2.2 million seed funding round. The investment was led by Cox Enterprises, with additional participation from Techstars, SEI Ventures, ECMC, Great Oaks VC, The Jump Fund, Emmett Partners, Next Wave Impact Fund and other unnamed angel investors.

WHAT THEY DO

Upon completing their schooling, those hoping to become licensed mental health practitioners often need to complete years of clinical supervision, in which they are supervised a licensed mental health expert. While this process is traditionally conducted in person, Motivo’s platform matches new therapists and supervisors and, through live video sessions, conducts these consultations online.

“Obtaining these hours is more difficult than one might think,” CEO and founder Rachel McCrickard, whose own experience obtaining a license involved long commutes to complete in-person supervision, said in the announcement. “For a therapist, getting your degree is actually the easy part. It’s becoming licensed that is hard.”

Founded in 2017, Motivo’s HIPAA-compliant platform includes a back-end practice management component for supervisors, alongside other features for hour tracking, secure documentation and payment. The startup also notes recent partnerships with the American Counseling Association and the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT).

WHAT IT’S FOR

Motivo wrote in its announcement that the raise will help the startup expand its staff, pickup contracts from mental health agencies and clinics, and ink new partnerships with professional organizations and academic institutions.

MARKET SNAPSHOT

While Motivo is squarely focused on the mental health tele-supervision niche, there are a number of other startups building tools for recent grads, aspiring providers and other experts in training. Among these are virtual reality-based surgical training systems, medical education content curators and medical residency enablers.

ON THE RECORD

“Over the past few years, Cox Enterprises has developed a strong interest in digital health, particularly in the innovative use of software platforms to provide more accessible healthcare solutions,” Tim Howe, senior director of corporate strategy and investments at Cox Enterprises, said in a statement. “We see Motivo as perfectly positioned to capture the therapist credentialing market, and to identify lateral healthcare markets that would also benefit from tele-supervision and the Motivo marketplace. We are proud to lead Motivo’s round and utilize our resources and connections to help Motivo scale.”