Peer support platform Somethings has raised $19.2 million in Series A funding to fuel its growth strategy and expand behavioral health support for young people.
Catalio Capital led the latest funding round with participation from existing investors General Catalyst and Tusk Ventures. The virtual provider previously raised $3.2 million in seed funding in 2023.
The New York-based provider is focused on early intervention and providing a human connection. It does this by matching adolescents and young people with a Certified Peer Specialist.
“Peer support is foundational to our model,” Patrick Gilligan, CEO of Somethings, told Behavioral Health Business. “The mentors on our platform are ages 20–29 and provide near-peer support, which allows for more authentic connection and trust with youth who are ages 13-26.”
The workforce
The company takes a hybrid approach to recruitment and training for its peer specialists. All peers must complete an external training program approved by the state where the teen is being served, including Academy of Peer Services training and New York State Peer Certification. Peers then complete an internal training program covering topics such as de-escalation and culturally affirming care. Employees also receive ongoing supervision and continuing education.
Somethings hires its peers as part-time employees who are online for approximately 25 hours a week, supporting a consistent caseload of clients.
“Unlike drop-in or on-demand models, our mentors are available every weekday after school hours, and youth can reach their assigned mentor in real time any day they need,” Gilligan said. “That continuity is critical to building trust and driving outcomes. We’re excited about using peer specialists as they grow the workforce, especially in rural areas.”
Reimbursement pathways
The provider operates across two primary reimbursement pathways: a traditional fee-for-service model and a partnership model.
Somethings uses a population-based model when partnering with certain government entities and health plans, allowing it to charge a flat rate based on an eligible population, according to Gilligan.
“This structure is often better aligned with budgeting needs, particularly for public sector and rural partners,” Gilligan said. “We’re seeing especially strong traction in rural health transformation efforts, where predictable budgeting is essential and population-based models are increasingly preferred.”
As part of the latest funding announcement, the company said it plans to expand its partnership efforts across Medicaid programs, state governments, schools and health care organizations.
And for the future, value-based care efforts may be in the cards.
“Looking ahead, we expect our work to continue shifting toward value-based care,” he said. “We’re already seeing strong results, including a 59% reduction in suicidal ideation and meaningful prevention of emergency department utilization. With health plans, we’re also working closely to help close [follow-up after hospitalization for mental illness] FUH and [follow-up after emergency department visit for mental illness] FUM care gaps.”
Artificial intelligence
Like many behavioral health companies today, Somethings has included artificial intelligence capabilities in its platform.
Somethings uses a HIPAA-compliant AI tool to review the conversations between peer specialists and clients and can give peers summaries before they re-engage with a client. The AI system can also flag any upcoming stressful events that a client previously mentioned and remind the peer specialist to check in, and provide insights into the client’s interests to the specialist.
“This allows mentors to show up more prepared, more relevant, and more present, without AI ever interacting directly with youth,”Gilligan said.
The provider also uses AI to identify safety and risk.
Somethings isn’t the only platform to use peer support specialists to engage clients. Flourished Labs provides peer behavioral health support through telehealth. The California-based startup raised $6 million in 2023, according to Axios.