Mightier an accessible and clinically proven video game system that helps children learn coping skills to improve their emotional health, today announced a $17 million Series B funding round. The round was led by DigiTx Partners with participation from the Sony Innovation Fund and Boston-based PBJ Capital. To date, Mightier has raised $29 million.
Since its launch in 2018, Mightier has helped over 50,000 families with children who struggle with anxiety, tantrums and anger, as well as clinical diagnoses such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Developed by clinicians at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Mightier pairs video games with clinically validated strategies to help children learn the coping skills they need to regulate their emotions by playing and interacting with biofeedback.
Mightier is a clinically validated, at-home solution families can access immediately that has been shown to help over 80% of children within the first three months. This latest funding will help Mightier expand its team and scale its proven technology to reach more children who struggle with their emotions. The funds will also help Mightier expand its reach into the healthcare industry through a strategic partnership the company entered with Magellan Health earlier this year.
Children’s behavioral and emotional health struggles have exacerbated due to the pandemic, and there is a shortage of clinicians to meet the rising need. Just last week, the United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy issued a 53-page public report on children’s mental health noting that the pandemic has intensified mental health struggles that were already widespread during the spring of 2020. This report comes on the heels of an urgent warning from leaders of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Children’s Hospital Association, and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry declaring the mental health crisis among children a national emergency.
“The mental and emotional health struggles of children in the US have been a longstanding issue that has worsened during the past two years and the current support systems available have not met the rising demand,” said David Kim, MD, Managing Director of DigiTx Partners. “We are drawn to Mightier and its leadership team because of its proven ability to help families experiencing those struggles with an innovative, easy-to-use solution that provides immediate impact. We are excited to support a company positioned to play a meaningful role in the future wellbeing of our children.”
“Families need more options to support the emotional needs of their kids now more than ever. Mightier is the only evidence-based solution that can serve families anywhere in the country in the comfort of their homes with fun, engaging content and a community of kids, caregivers and experts who understand them,” said Craig Lund, co-founder and chief executive officer at Mightier. “Our new investors bring valuable health care and gaming expertise to the company to help us scale our program to reach even more families and kids in need of support.”
Mightier’s technology has been tested in several clinical trials and has consistently shown to improve behavior. After 12 weeks of Mightier’s program, families have reported positive changes in three key areas — child outbursts, child oppositional behavior, and parental stress. In its partnership with Magellan Healthcare, Mightier began offering its video game program to health plans and employers. In the last year, Mightier has also collaborated with the managed health care company on several studies and pilot programs to research the impact of video games on improving children’s mental health and, more specifically, the success of using Mightier to support children with autism. The later study, completed in May of this year, found Mightier led to a 45% improvement in symptoms for children on the autism spectrum.
