Cabana raises $1M seed to embed behavioral health into everyday care
What's the deal? Cabana, a behavioral health platform, has raised a $1 million seed round led by Tulane VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, which put in $250,000, alongside 1834 VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. The company weaves clinical care, community groups, and tech-enabled support into the lives of patients battling physical ailments — outside of standard medical appointments.
What's the endgame? Co-founder David Black wants behavioral health treated as part of the healthcare experience, not a separate service line. "We're weaving behavioral health support into the moments between care experiences," he said.
Why the move? The funding is enabling Cabana to relocate its headquarters to New Orleans, build a Louisiana-based clinical team, and launch Cabana Connected Care to help local providers integrate behavioral health between patient appointments. Black, a 2005 Tulane graduate, co-founded the company with Heather Townsend.
Why now? The round was leveraged through the State Small Business Credit Initiative, which uses federal funding to help startups access capital. Louisiana Economic DevelopmentDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → backs the effort alongside the two investors.
The idea took shape after Black watched his father battle late-stage cancer, convincing him that behavioral health should run alongside the hardest care moments and that patients must be met where they are.
The signal: At $1 million, the seed sits near the middle of comparable rounds — a modest but deliberate bet on regional healthcare innovation. The deal underscores how state-backed capital and university venture arms are working to keep alumni-founded companies rooted in Louisiana.
Read more: news.tulane.edu
Image credit: Cabana
