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Investments

Investing in Little Otter: Mental Health Care for the Whole Family

Little Otter, a trailblazer in digital whole-family mental health care, has raised $9.5 million in a strategic funding round led by top-tier impact investors, including Pivotal Ventures, Torch Capital, Springbank, CRV, Next Legacy, G9, Gratitude Railroad, and Carrie Walton Penner's Fiore Ventures. This investment brings total funding to-date to $36.35 million, and cements Little Otter’s position as a defining leader in the rapidly growing billion-dollar family mental health market.

by Thomas Knowles


We are pleased to announce our investment in Little Otter, a pediatric mental health telehealth company transforming care for young children. Co-founded by mother-daughter team Rebecca Egger and Dr. Helen Egger, Little Otter combines data science, product innovation, and clinical expertise to address the large and underserved child mental health market.

Investing Alongside Our Community

We were introduced to Little Otter many years ago through Springbank who was an early investor in the company. Gratitude Railroad is a Limited Partner in Springbank’s initial Fund. We were able to monitor the progress of Little Otter and lean on Springbank’s expertise in the care economy and mental health.

Why We Invested in Little Otter

Underserved Market

Little Otter takes a whole family approach, providing mental health services for children of all ages and their families. By offering personalized, evidence-based care for the entire family, Little Otter is transforming the landscape of family mental health care across the country. This is a largely underserved market, as broader mental health telehealth companies focus solely on adult teletherapy.

Highly Qualified Team Utilizing Evidence-Based Approach

Rebecca Egger and Dr. Helen Egger bring a unique mix of software, product, and clinical expertise to Little Otter. A renowned child psychiatrist, Dr. Helen pioneered the PAPA assessment, a key tool for identifying mental health challenges in children under five, shaping the company’s evidence-based approach. Rebecca leverages her background in data and computer science from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and Palantir to drive innovation in mental health care for the whole family.

Strong Clinical Outcomes Driving Growth

Little Otter is dedicated to delivering high-quality, evidence-based care, with families reporting significant clinical improvements. 85% of families see progress in just six sessions, and 71% of children experience remission of symptoms after 12 sessions. Its success stems from a proprietary assessment tool based on Dr. Helen’s research, a whole-family treatment approach, AI-driven symptom tracking, and rigorous clinician training to ensure evidence-based care.