Huckleberry Raises $12.5 Mln to Tackle Sleep Problems in Children

Huckleberry, a health startup based in Irvine, has raised $12.5 million in Series A funding to bring data science, pediatric sleep expertise, and AI together.

The funding round was led by Morningside Ventures with participation from existing investors like Spero Ventures and Tamarisc VC. With this capital, Huckleberry has now raised $16 million to develop its novel health and wellness app. Stephen Bruso, VC at Morningside Ventures, referred to the firm’s participation in the round by stating:

“Huckleberry has shown that the combination of machine learning and pediatric expertise applied to early childhood development results in simple, effective tools that positively impact both children and caregivers. The phenomenal growth they have seen is a further validation of the value they are creating for the entire caregiving ecosystem, and we are excited to partner with them as they continue to scale and expand their platform.”

Founded by Jessica Toh and Dr. Seng Toh in 2017 as the result of a personal experience, Huckleberry aims to provide an easier and more accessible way for parents to understand their child’s specific sleep partners. By doing so, the startup allows its users to save thousands of dollars on pediatric sleep consultants by providing personalized and science-backed strategies to get children to sleep better. Jessica Toh, who now serves as Huckleberry’s CEO, said in this regard:

“Family wellbeing as a whole can be envisioned as a line of dominoes. First, a cranky and tired child, then an outburst, an overworked parent who loses their temper, and then an escalated situation with a cycle of emotional fatigue and strain on relationships and work. By helping with sleep, and expanding how we support parents, we can break the chain reaction.”

With 25% to 50% of children suffering from some sort of sleep problem, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, Huckleberry believes it can help tackle the problem by bringing together the latest developments in machine learning and pediatric expertise. Now, the startup has served more than 1.2 million families across 179 countries.