Noala raises $4m to help families more easily access speech and language therapy

• speech and language therapy platform, Noala, was founded by Emilie Spire after her niece’s own communication disorder highlighted the stark issues and huge waitlists facing the global sector

• Noala combines digital tools with clinical expertise to offer families and schools across the UK and US access to treatment in days rather than months or years while empowering Speech and Language Professionals (SLPs) to get back to what they love doing – helping patients

• the oversubscribed Seed round was led by LocalGlobe with participation from Cocoa Ventures, and angels from BlaBlaCar, Kry, Mirakl and Peak

Noala – the digital platform on a mission to make speech and language therapy accessible to all – has raised $4 million to give entire generations the communication skills they deserve to live fulfilled lives. The oversubscribed seed round was led by LocalGlobe with participation from Cocoa Ventures, and angels from BlaBlaCar, Kry, Mirakl and Peak.

Noala powers a decentralised fleet of Speech and Language Professionals (SLPs), delivering clinical-backed digital coaching programs supporting families to level up their children's communication skills. The platform approach removes many of the barriers that exist when trying to access vital therapy services, both on and offline.

Noala gives families access to support, advice and personalised practical exercises faster – in days rather than months – from the comfort of their home. By helping people access clinically backed coaching within a week, Noala is allowing their families and loved ones to have more control over their care and treatment. Powered by Noala, SLPs can access all the tools they need to work more efficiently, thus bringing them peace of mind, giving them more time with patients and helping to relieve the pressure on health services and schools.

Turning personal impact into inspiration

Communication is what fuels our relationships and is vital for helping us thrive professionally and personally, yet an estimated 20% of us will experience communication difficulties at some point in our lives. In the UK, two students in every class of 30 – have a Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) and 81% with emotional and behavioural disorders have unidentified communication needs.

Children who experience issues with speaking and understanding are more than four times less likely to pass Maths and English GCSEs, while vocabulary difficulties at age five are significantly associated with poor literacy, mental health and employment outcomes at age 34. By adulthood, 88% of long-term unemployed young men have been found to have Speech and Learning Communication Needs (SLCN).

This is in addition to those of us who develop language disorders as we age or as a result of conditions, such as strokes, Parkinson’s disease, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy and more. The situation is so widespread that in the US, alone, more people have communication difficulties (46m) than have diabetes (34m) according to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, the impact of which is substantial.

This impact is only growing over time. When these figures are coupled with the fallout from Covid restrictions (three-quarters of schools surveyed after the first Covid wave reported that new starters were behind in speech and writing, the effects which are still being felt today); as well as cuts across health and social care, and an increasing shortage of speech and language professionals, it’s worryingly clear the world is facing a communication crisis.

Noala’s founder, Emilie Spire saw first-hand the impact that such communication disorders can have on a person’s quality of life after her niece Ambre suffered from a stroke just before she was born. Having spent her career in investing and product building at brands including Partech, Felix Capital and BlaBlaCar, Emilie was inspired by her niece’s journey to build a platform that meaningfully supports the needs of millions of people to help minimise this impact and give people back their voice.

Digital tools backed by clinical expertise

Noala’s platform takes a more multistage approach to the therapy journey. It combines the power of Noala’s digital tools with the real-world expertise of its clinical team to help both sides – families and SLPs – achieve the best quality outcome for themselves as individuals, but also the wider community.

For patients and their families, Noala is a coaching platform that brings benefits as a standalone treatment option, or it can be used while patients are on waiting lists, and alongside existing NHS, or school-led treatment plans. Each six-week program is curated and managed by Noala’s in-house clinical team. Users are assigned dedicated Noala SLPs throughout their time on the platform and these SLPs review each patient’s progress to offer clinical feedback and tailor the program to individual needs and development.

Its first program is focused on Developmental Language, improving understanding of the spoken language for children aged two to seven years old across six themed sessions, from Body Parts to Animals and more. Every week, families have access to coaching videos from Noala’s Clinical Director and a set of digital exercises such as flash cards, keywords and colouring sheets. After every week of practice, families can book a video call with their dedicated SLPs to review their progress and help them reach their targets.

For SLPs, the Noala platform can be used by any professional practicing across the UK and US to onboard and manage their existing caseload. Noala not only includes all the digital resources they need to run their practice built in a way that complements and supports their current workflows, including integrated and interactive video call tools, a session plan builder, invoice generator and clinical notes templates, but it offers them an evolving library of clinically reviewed exercises. This includes access to free online sessions with fellow professionals that count towards their Continual Professional Development targets.

By helping SLPs work more efficiently, with fewer admin burdens, they are less likely to experience burnout or become disillusioned. Data shows that 10% of SLPs are experiencing burnout and ​​a recent survey of 1,000 healthcare professionals showed that 28% had quit a job because of burnout.

Reducing the barriers to entry

Noala’s fixed and transparent pricing structure is typically more affordable for both families and schools - costing a third of the prices of traditional private services on average. Patients can use Noala on both a long-term basis and as a short-term solution while waiting for NHS treatment because the two are designed to be complementary.

With Noala, people can also be seen much faster, in days versus months or even years, and professionals can do more of what they love – caring for patients. This not only allows patients to expedite their treatment and make improvements sooner, but it helps SLPs see more patients – both of which can help indirectly support national health services in the management of their public waiting lists.

Kate, Noala user from Essex, said:

"It was great that we were able to choose a convenient time for the appointment and do it at home in an environment where my son is comfortable.”

To date, Noala has grown by word of mouth and recommendations made by the platform’s growing and engaged community of families and professionals. The seed funding will be used to continue developing Noala’s leading digital tools by growing the product and clinical teams in a bid to make Noala the go-to platform for everyone involved in speech and language services.

Alongside LocalGlobe and Cocoa Ventures, angels include Nicolas Brusson (BlaBlaCar), Josefin Landgard (Kry), Adrien Nussenbaum (Mirakl), Xavier Louis (Peak), among others.

Noala founder Emilie Spire said:

“Speech and language professionals do an amazing and vital job helping both children and adults improve their communication skills, unlock new opportunities and find their voice so that they can thrive. Yet they’re attempting to do so in the face of increasing demand, cuts and poor resources. A lack of resources that are additionally letting down patients, their families, schools, and workforces across the country and beyond. At Noala, we’re building the go-to platform to improve one’s communication skills, empowering a decentralised fleet of Speech and Language Professionals to deliver clinically-backed digital coaching programs.”