MoldCo, a Boston-based digital health platform, announced $8 million in seed funding in September 2025, bringing its total raised capital to $11 million. The round was co-led by venture capital firms Cantos and Collaborative Fund, with additional backing from Starship Ventures.

The company was founded in 2023 by CEO Ariana Thacker, who developed the platform after her own debilitating battle with mold illness.

“Three years ago I got sick from something most people overlook: mold exposure,” Thacker wrote publicly upon announcing the funding.

That personal experience drove her to build what MoldCo describes as the first clinician-led digital health platform standardizing mold detox as routine preventative care.

Her story is far from unique.

Estimates suggest that as many as 25 million Americans suffer from mold-related health issues, yet most physicians do not screen for mold-related illnesses during routine visits. Over 50% of U.S. households show signs of mold or water damage — yet patients often go years without a proper diagnosis.

The healthcare system’s lack of standardized testing and care pathways for mold toxicity has left patients in a costly and frustrating limbo. Fragmented treatment alternatives can run into the tens of thousands of dollars with inconsistent outcomes, according to MoldCo.

MoldCo’s telehealth platform allows patients to access specialized mold toxicity care without leaving their home. The company’s model is built on three core steps — Detox, Clear, and Repair — guided by certified mold toxicity specialists.

Treatment costs an average of $150 to $300 per month — a fraction of the cost of fragmented conventional care. MoldCo reports that 95% of its patients see a reduction in symptom count within the first 30 days, based on tracking of 61 patients.

The platform is rooted in the work of Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker, a leading physician and foundational researcher in biotoxin illness and CIRS, whose protocols represent nearly three decades of peer-reviewed science.

“The profound impact of environmental factors, like those found in water-damaged buildings, on human health and the immune system has been documented for decades,” Dr. Shoemaker stated in MoldCo’s funding announcement.

“The days of simply living with mold and biotoxin-related illness have been replaced by peer-reviewed treatment protocols, developed from nearly 30 years of research and evidence-based care, and now being made accessible through MoldCo.”

The Shoemaker Protocol is widely considered the only clinically validated and evidence-based approach to mold toxicity diagnosis and care.

MoldCo’s clinical team also includes Dr. Scott McMahon, Dr. Peg DiTulio, and Dr. Jimmy Ryan — physicians with deep expertise in mold-related illness.

The $8 million seed round reflects growing investor conviction that mold illness is a legitimate, scalable healthcare category, not a fringe diagnosis.

Cantos partner Amee Kapadia specifically highlighted the urgent need for accessible mold diagnosis and treatment as a driver behind the firm’s investment.