A pediatric behavioral startup, Butterfly Learnings established in 2021, provides personalized therapies for neurodiverse children.
Quick Fact: As per a 2021 study by the Indian Journal of Pediatrics reports that around 1 in 68 children (1.47%) in India are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) per year.
Despite the ratio, there is a shortage of effective and specifically tailored therapy options for each child’s special needs. It becomes a challenging situation for parents and kids.
Early Life and Backstory
After completing his MBBS at Nine Hospital, Mumbai in 2009, Abhishek Sen realized that he would not become a good doctor. Thus, he shifted from medicine to engineering at IIT Bombay where he focussed on sensors and technology.
He developed a medical equipment, Biosense which was later acquired by PerkinElmer in 2019. But this experience was the beginning of his entrepreneurial journey and enough savings to work on the next project Butterfly Learnings.
Abhishek Sen, MBBS in medicine and a bioengineer, recognized the issue in 2016. With 1 in 8 children needing the therapy and only 10,000 therapists in India, the shortage of therapists is evident. Moreover, there is a lack of evidence-based approach in therapies in India.
Laying the Foundation: Butterfly Learnings
Realizing the gap, the pediatric neurologist Dr Sonam Kothari from NIMHANS, Bengaluru and her husband Abhishek Sen, founded Butterfly Learning in 2021 to focus on improving children’s mental health and development support.
Soon, the 1st center was established in Thane, Mumbai where for the 1st year the main focus was protocolising various therapies and building the technology platform to deliver therapies at scale. After trying online therapy sessions with their clients, they realized offline sessions are more effective and influential.
The application was being developed through which both parents and therapists can track the progress.
Then, with expansion of the startup, their main focus shifted to maintain high standards of quality services and ensuring clinical outcomes for children are not hampered as the startup grows.
For this, they invest in extensive training and quality assurance which is supported by dedicated data science team. This team continuously monitors and ensures improvement in therapy outcomes.
Bootstrapped with around Rs 2 crore, now the Mumbai-based Butterfly Learnings have a team of 300+ professionals and 250+ skilled therapists. Later in 2022, the company raised around $2 million in a seed funding round led by Insitor Fund (a long-time investor in Bionese).
Every Child Deserves Personalized Therapy
As per their working pattern, Butterfly Learning offers a wide range of therapies catering to each child’s needs. The list also includes occupational therapy, oral placement therapy, sensory integration, speech therapy, and Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA).
They have 3 types of therapists (all full-time employees): behavior, occupational and speech. Each therapist manages 4 children at a time. Each child attends 3 sessions per week with each session’s duration being 1 hour and 45 minutes.
With their innovative technology stack, comprehensive monitoring and analysis of therapy outcomes are possible. Further guaranteeing personalized attention and care is given to each child.
Moreover, therapists track the kid’s progress and parents actively participate in the child’s development through the application.
Revenue Pattern
With 12 sessions assigned per month for children aged 2 to 14 years, the fee is Rs 15K. Each child’s enrollment duration is about 15 to 18 months.
They are following a competitive pricing strategy and are charging less than the other such service providers. They have kept the fees keeping in mind the average income of Indian households.
With 52 operating centers, 50 located in Maharashtra and 2 in Rajasthan, the startup serves 3,000+ families and employs 400+ therapists. The company is planning to open 3 new centers in Ahmedabad, Baroda, and Surat.
Moreover, it has generated a monthly revenue of Rs 2 crore+ following a growth rate of 10-12% per month.
The Butterfly Learning Inclusive Schooling System (BLISS) Program
The startup identifies the challenges faced by neurodiverse children in completing the mainstream education. To cater this, it has launched the Butterfly Learning Inclusive Schooling System (BLISS) program. Under this, 2 inclusive schools in Thane and Dombivli were established. They have a specialized curriculum for certain neurodivergent conditions like dyslexia.
Then, for 6th and above grades, the company has partnered with GO School. It is affiliated with the IGCSE board. The school offers customizable educational curriculum and a flexible schooling curriculum to support ASD students, their distinct requirements and high intelligence.
Quick Fact: The Census report 2011 states that 1 billion+ people globally, including 21 million in India, are living with visible/invisible disabilities.
As per the Deloitte study, around 15-20% of the estimated global population is neurodiverse.
Future Plans
Standing out from the competitors for its comprehensive approach, Butterfly Learnings aims to open 200 centers in next 2 to 3 years, aiming to provide evidence-based therapy to 4 crore children in India. Also, they have a goal of 2.5 to 3 times yearly growth.
Despite the ratio, there is a shortage of effective and specifically tailored therapy options for each child’s special needs. It becomes a challenging situation for parents and kids.