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Candlelit Care
Techstars '24Monroe, US · Founded 2019 · 7 employees on LinkedIn · 1 known investors
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Candlelit Care provides virtual perinatal mental health services combining AI-driven screening and peer coaching for pregnant and postpartum parents, with clinical oversight from reproductive psychiatrists and psychologists. The service is designed for Black pregnant and postpartum women and other parents at risk of perinatal mental and anxiety disorders, partnering with doctors, midwives, and doulas.
Also known as Candlelit Care
Founders & leadership
Candlelit Care was founded in 2019 by Lauren Elliott.
Investors · 1
How we know: the Techstars portfolio · open dataset · Top 3000 Accelerator Startups (no YC) 2026-08 · Not right? Tell us
Company profile
researched Sep 2026Candlelit Care is a virtual perinatal mental health service focused on identifying and managing perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) among Black pregnant and postpartum women and birthing parents, while remaining open to all parents at risk. The company's offering combines app-based symptom triage and tracking, guided mental health education modules, and perinatal mental health coaching delivered by trained peers and board-certified health coaches, with clinical backing from reproductive psychiatrists and psychologists. Members are matched with a dedicated coach who reviews screening results, builds a care plan, and follows up weekly through text, email, video, or phone, including support with provider referrals and insurance navigation.
The company positions its model around earlier detection — assessing risk for mental health complications during pregnancy rather than after birth — and around coordination with a member's existing maternity care providers, whether an OB-GYN, midwife, or doula. Educational content and coaching draw on cognitive behavioral therapy-based approaches, which the company notes are recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force for reducing high levels of stress and anxiety. The platform also includes analytics and a supportive online community, and the website advertises early access to a virtual therapy clinic.
Founding story
Founder and CEO Lauren Elliott, MA, MHFA, a mother of two, developed Candlelit Care following the traumatic birth of her eldest son. The founding team describes itself as raised within underserved communities and personally affected by caring for loved ones with undetected and undiagnosed perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.
Business model
Candlelit Care delivers a virtual, subscription-oriented perinatal mental health service consisting of screening, symptom tracking, psychoeducation, and one-to-one coaching, operating in partnership with birth workers and existing maternity care teams rather than replacing them. Its Techstars industry classification includes subscription service, mental health, and therapeutics.
Traction
The company operates with a team of 1-10 employees and is listed at pre-seed stage. It maintains a care team and external partner network of board-certified health coaches, licensed clinical providers, midwives, doulas, and therapists, plus advisors spanning reproductive psychiatry, regulatory, business, behavioral health, and nurse-midwifery.
Latest developments
Candlelit Care's Techstars job board profile names supporters including MedTech Color, Springboard Enterprises, CUNY School of Public Health, Cedars Sinai Technology Ventures, and Techstars Impact powered by Cox Enterprises. The company website is promoting early access to its virtual therapy clinic.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
Candlelit Care presents itself as addressing the Black maternal health crisis in the United States, noting that Black women face higher risk of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders before, during, and up to a year after pregnancy, and that 80% of pregnancy and childbirth complications are preventable.
The company frames its differentiation around culturally affirming care designed for Black pregnant and postpartum parents, pre-birth risk identification rather than post-birth diagnosis, peer-led coaching that is clinically backed by reproductive psychiatrists and psychologists, and explicit care coordination with a member's existing providers.
Technology
The platform applies AI to clinical research on perinatal mood disorders to enable faster mental health screening and triage, supported by app-based symptom tracking, analytics, a data-driven coaching model that analyzes member symptoms to set goals and care plans, and recommendation of educational modules based on tracked symptoms.
Go-to-market
The company partners with birth workers and maternity care providers — obstetrician-gynecologists, midwives, and doulas — to reach women at the point of care, and markets directly to parents through its website with an early-access signup for its virtual clinic.
Black women and women of color who are trying to conceive, currently pregnant, or recovering from labor, including those living in maternity care deserts, as well as other parents at risk of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. The company also works alongside partners in the care pathway such as obstetrician-gynecologists, midwives, and doulas.
Geography
United States, with headquarters listed in Charlotte, North Carolina and additional listed locations in Monroe and Carolina Shores, NC; New York, NY; and Middletown, DE.
History
The company was founded in 2019. Its Techstars job board profile lists headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina, with additional listed locations including Monroe, NC; New York, NY; and Middletown, DE, and describes the company as pre-seed stage with 1-10 employees.
Compiled by commissioned research from 4 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
▸Research sources · 4
primary sources listed
- Candlelit Carecandlelitcare.com · web
4 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Candlelit Care do?
- Virtual perinatal mental health service pairing Black pregnant and postpartum parents with AI screening and peer coaching.
- Who founded Candlelit Care?
- Candlelit Care was founded by Lauren Elliott in 2019.
- Who are Candlelit Care's investors?
- Candlelit Care's investors include Techstars.
- Where is Candlelit Care headquartered?
- Candlelit Care is headquartered in Monroe, US.