Positive Development, co-founded by Mike Suiters, has raised $51.5 million in Series C funding, co-led by aMoon, B Capital, and Flare Capital Partners, with key participation from Healthworx, Digitalis Ventures, and others. This significant investment propels their mission to make developmental therapy for autistic children more accessible, affordable, and outcome-driven through their unique Developmental Relationship-Based Interventions (DRBI) model.

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Revolutionizing Autism Therapy Through Relationship-Based Care

Traditional Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy, while prevalent, is often costly - ranging from $50,000 to $70,000 annually per child - and clinically limited. Positive Development offers an evidence-based, less intensive alternative. Their DRBI model integrates speech therapy, occupational therapy, and mental health care with technology and real-time analytics to deliver meaningful developmental gains with measurable effectiveness at 50% lower cost than traditional approaches.

Backed by health plans and Medicaid partners, the model is already lowering barriers for underserved communities seeking personalized, impactful care.

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Foundational Insight for Founders: Align Value with Access

Here’s the high-impact takeaway nestled right here: the greatest innovations don’t simply offer a better solution - they expand what was previously unserviceable.

Positive Development didn’t just refine therapy - they reimagined delivery. By integrating tech and pricing models that align with insurers and Medicaid, they turned therapy into something scalable, affordable, and sustainable. Founders should remember: the real difference is made when your product unlocks access that wasn’t there before.

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Investors Fueling Mission-Driven Scale

The investor syndicate around this round brings both capital and strategic advantage:

• aMoon, as a lead, brings deep healthcare investment knowledge and partnership strategy.
  
• B Capital and Flare Capital Partners add healthcare technology scale expertise.
  
• Healthworx provides payer collaboration channels.
  
• Digitalis Ventures brings downstream capital and healthcare credibility.
  

This blend ensures Positive Development has both funding and frontline convergence with payers and providers to scale effectively.

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Capital Deployment: Scaling Across Care Horizons

Funds will be allocated toward:

1. Geographic Expansion - tripling their footprint in existing states and advancing into five to ten new regions.
   
2. Medicaid and Payer Integration - broadening alternative payment models and payer contracts to offload costs and increase accessibility.
   
3. Technology and AI - refining the data infrastructure that powers therapy personalization, outcome tracking, and caregiver coaching.
   
4. Operational Capacity - expanding clinician and support staff teams to meet rising demand.
   

Each investment targets scalable reach and sustainment, while doubling down on care quality and outcomes.

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Real Outcomes, Real Families

Positive Development is already making tangible impacts:

• Families report stronger engagement and lower stress, enabled by in-home, relationship-centered therapies.
  
• Early data shows measurable developmental progress within weeks, accelerating buy-in from providers and payers.
  
• Thanks to DRBI’s lower cost, more families can engage consistently - with fewer coverage obstacles and burnout than ABA insurers typically face.
  

That outcome-oriented approach builds trust - and trust is what scales in care delivery ecosystems.

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Why the Market's Ready for Innovation

Autism care is facing soaring demand:

• Diagnostic rates have gone up significantly - currently, 1 in 31 children in the U.S. is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.
  
• Traditional ABA services are overstretched - costly, centralized, and often inaccessible.
  
• Health plans recognize the opportunity: value-based care that delivers outcomes at half the cost is not just needed, it’s financially strategic.
  

Positive Development’s approach strikes cross-spectrum demand across providers, payers, and families - making it a triple-aligned model with stickiness built in.

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The Broader Healthcare Vision

This Series C evokes a larger shift happening across health tech:

• Mental health, therapy, and developmental care are shifting from high-cost, institutional models to personalized, tech-enabled home care.
  
• Entrepreneurs building such models are not just treating symptoms but restructuring care economics to be more inclusive and impactful.
  
• The DRBI methodology and data-first approach position them to lead a transformation, not just compete in legacy therapy markets.
  

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Final Thoughts: Scaling Care That Scales Compassion

Positive Development’s $51.5M Series C is more than a funding announcement - it’s a signal that affordable, outcomes-driven autism care has arrived. Their model is relationship-first, tech-enabled, and anchored in equitable access.

For healthtech founders, the message is clear: whoever delivers scalable care with measurable impact wins trust and transforms systems. And that’s a business built for long-term legacy.