Mou's departure from Cerebral followed a tumultuous period for the company, which faced media criticism and federal investigations over its prescribing practices. Cerebral paid millions in settlements and faced internal conflicts among investors. Mou, who returned to his role as Cerebral's chief medical officer, emphasized the importance of clinician leadership in AdvocateMH's development. The new venture seeks to focus on quality referrals and plans to share more details about its seed round and advisors soon.
Key takeaways:
- Dr. David Mou, former CEO of Cerebral, has launched a new mental health startup called AdvocateMH, which has raised seed funding from Morningside.
- AdvocateMH aims to connect patients with appropriate mental healthcare resources without taking a cut from referral volumes, focusing instead on high-quality clinic referrals.
- The startup plans to use licensed clinical social workers and integrate AI tools to enhance clinicians' decision-making.
- Cerebral faced significant challenges, including federal investigations and financial penalties, which influenced Mou's approach to AdvocateMH, emphasizing clinician leadership.