NeuroFlow will pilot its mental health platform at Philly’s VA hospital

Over the next six months, a dozen clinicians at the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center will have access to NeuroFlow’s mental health platform, which helps engage patients and track their behavioral health.

The deployment of the platform, part of an initial research study, is funded through a $225,000 Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant from the National Science Foundation awarded to the Center City startup.

Adam Pardes, NeuroFlow COO and principal investigator in the study, said the grant will help the company deliver on its mission.

“This is motivation for our team and gets us closer to the company’s goal of being a more effective asset for providers and patients,” Pardes said. “Collaborating with the VA is not only fulfilling personally for our founding team, but the beginning of an impactful relationship.”

The first phase of the grant will give clinicians access to a dashboard that tracks health indicators for 50 patients. Through the company’s flagship software product — called EngageBH — clinicians can see data from wearable devices, assign tasks for patients to complete at home (such as meditation or journaling) and send automated motivational emails.

After the first six-month phase, NeuroFlow will be eligible for an additional $750,000 grant to launch a larger-scale study, contingent upon certain performance benchmarks.

“The National Science Foundation supports small businesses with the most innovative, cutting-edge ideas that have the potential to become great commercial successes and make huge societal impacts,” said Barry Johnson, director of the NSF’s Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships. “We hope that this seed funding will spark solutions to some of the most important challenges of our time across all areas of science and technology.”

Last month, NeuroFlow raised a $1.2 million funding round led by New Brunswick, N.J.-based angel investor group NJ JumpStart in a bid to scale the reach of its platform.