Private Equity in ABA

PE Investments in ABA and Pediatric Therapy Are Maturing: What Longer Holding Periods May Mean

July 28, 2026 · 9:30 AM

U.S. private equity is holding platforms longer as exits slow, and pediatric therapy is no exception. Roughly 41% of sponsor-backed platforms have been held more than five years, a maturing cohort that…

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Cathay Capital Launches Ascendia Autism Care ABA Platform

July 16, 2026 · 9:00 AM

The founding affiliate operates 20 centers across 8 states and has a clinical team of over 400, though the launch release does not name it. The plan calls for new centers in…

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Leonard Green’s Stepping Stones Rolled Up School-Based ABA

July 7, 2026 · 1:00 PM

The company places BCBAs and therapists directly in school districts, sidestepping Medicaid’s fee schedules, visit-verification rules, and clawbacks.

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What ABA Founders Who Sold to Roll-Ups Actually Got

July 7, 2026 · 8:00 AM

Much of the price in a boom-era sale was paper, not cash. As multiples reset from their 2021 peak and some platforms faltered, rollover equity and earnouts are worth far less than…

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Havencrest Puts Apara Autism Centers Up for Sale

June 18, 2026 · 12:15 PM

Piper Sandler is running the auction for the Texas-based platform, the latest in a wave of ABA exits as sponsors past their hold windows test a market that has rewarded scale and…

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ABA Auction Block Fills as a Family Office Buys InBloom

June 16, 2026 · 8:00 AM

Apara Autism hit the market June 1, joining 360 Behavioral Health, Mosaic Pediatric Therapy and Butterfly Effects in a queue of scaled platforms seeking buyers. The $75 million Elysium deal shows who…

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Who Is Buying ABA Now: Three PE Playbooks Behind the Autism Roll-Ups

June 5, 2026 · 12:01 PM

General Atlantic, GTCR, and Gryphon Investors each own a national ABA platform, and each is buying differently. For autism providers fielding offers, the PE firm signals what the path forward will be…

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Middle Market PE and Venture Capital Explore Rural Therapy-Care Deserts. Is ABA Next Their Next Frontier?

June 3, 2026 · 12:30 PM

Private equity acquired 500 autism therapy centers in a decade, nearly all in urban markets. Half of U.S. counties are still without a BCBA. As investors eye rural behavioral health, the question…

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JoyBridge Kids Buys Two NC Clinics, Opens First Adult Line

June 2, 2026 · 8:30 AM

The Frontline-backed pediatric platform takes over two former A Bridge to Achievement sites and plans an Adult Daily Living program, its first step beyond children’s services.

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Gryphon-Backed LEARN Acquires Little Leaves From FullBloom

May 29, 2026 · 10:04 AM

The May 11 deal puts Florida on LEARN’s map for the first time and pulls FullBloom out of direct ABA delivery, narrowing the American Securities portfolio toward K-12 education and school-based mental…

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JoyBridge Expands Southeast ABA Clinics to 24 Locations

May 13, 2026 · 12:01 PM

Backed by Frontline Healthcare, JoyBridge Kids grows from one clinic to a robust platform across three states, enhancing its service offerings.

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Goldman Sachs Quietly Shapes ABA Landscape with CSD-BCI Deal

April 30, 2026 · 2:00 PM

The tuck-in acquisition of Behavior Change Institute signals a strategic shift in ABA consolidation as industry focus shifts to smaller transactions.

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Nautic Partners Divests Its 100-Location Behavioral Health Network

April 30, 2026 · 8:00 AM

The Providence-based private equity firm is selling its diversified behavioral health platform, which includes nearly 100 locations across the East Coast.

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Autism Learning Partners Closes Texas Centers, Expands in California

April 25, 2026 · 2:00 PM

The company shuttered five Texas locations due to low Medicaid rates, opening three new centers in California just days later.

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Aquitaine Capital Invests in Oklahoma’s Growing ABA Therapy Market

April 25, 2026 · 8:00 AM

The investment in KidsChoice aims to enhance multimodality therapy in a state with limited autism service coverage and high growth potential.

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Granpeesheh Resurrects CARD After $600 Million Collapse

April 24, 2026 · 2:00 PM

After Blackstone's costly acquisition and subsequent bankruptcy, founder Dr. Doreen Granpeesheh reclaimed CARD for $48.5 million.

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Behavioral Framework Expands with Autism ETC Acquisition

April 21, 2026 · 8:00 AM

The deal marks a significant move into new markets, signaling renewed M&A activity among private equity-backed ABA providers.

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Havencrest and Apara Target Texas for ABA Growth Surge

April 19, 2026 · 2:00 PM

Apara Autism Centers expands its Texas footprint through strategic acquisitions, positioning itself in the second-largest ABA market for future growth.

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Leavitt Equity Partners Expands PE Reach into Multi-Specialty Therapy

April 17, 2026 · 8:00 AM

The partnership with Pediatrics Plus marks a shift in private equity's focus, integrating ABA with other pediatric therapies.

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Private Equity Acquires Over 500 Autism Centers in Ten Years

April 14, 2026 · 2:00 PM

A new study reveals the rapid expansion of private equity in autism therapy, mapping 574 centers across 42 states and detailing future implications.

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A Diagnosis, a Mission, and a $400 Million Bet: How Lighthouse Autism Center Became the Midwest’s Leading ABA Provider — and Why It’s Just Getting Started

March 18, 2026 · 8:00 AM

Gregg and Sandy Maggioli founded Lighthouse Autism Center in 2012 after their son's autism diagnosis led them through Indiana's near-empty early intervention landscape. Twelve years and two private equity rounds later —…

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Three BCBAs, One City, 25 Years: How Behavioral Innovations Built a 100-Clinic Empire That Almost Nobody Outside Texas Has Heard Of

March 17, 2026 · 5:00 PM

In 2000, Billy Edwards, Carla Edwards, and Lori Russo opened Dallas-Fort Worth's first ABA consultation office. They were among the earliest Board Certified Behavior Analysts in the country, and they had a…

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How Ali Satvat Convinced KKR to Bet $5.45 Billion on the Most Underserved Patients in America

March 16, 2026 · 2:00 PM

The architect of KKR's Health Care Strategic Growth platform launched BlueSprig Pediatrics with a blank check and a conviction that the autism therapy sector was where private capital could do the most…

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