Founded in 2021, Butterfly Learnings is transforming developmental therapy in India through a ‘phygital’ model, proprietary tech, and its inclusive education wing, BLISS—reaching 2,000 families daily.
In an exclusive interaction with TDG, Dr. Sonam Kothari, Co-founder and CEO of Butterfly Learnings, shared how the startup is transforming pediatric behavioral health with technology and inclusivity.
- What inspired the creation of Butterfly Learnings, and how has the journey evolved since 2021?
Ans. Butterfly Learnings was founded out of a deeply felt need observed by Dr. Sonam, a pediatric neurologist, during her time at Wadia Hospital. She regularly encountered children with developmental challenges who were not receiving appropriate therapy. The gaps were glaring—India faced both a quantity and quality crisis in developmental therapy. There simply weren’t enough therapists, and even where therapy was available, it was largely unstructured, with minimal tracking of outcomes. This randomness in care delivery inspired us to create a solution that is evidence-based, outcome-focused, and scalable. From that seed of an idea, Butterfly Learnings has grown to 78 centers with over 500 therapists and doctors, helping children between the ages of 2 and 14 across the country. Our mission continues to be driven by the need to provide structured, measurable, and impactful developmental therapy.
- How does the ‘phygital’ approach enhance the way families and therapists engage with developmental therapy?
Ans. The ‘phygital’ or omnichannel model is core to our therapy delivery because we work with very young children, and purely digital therapy often falls short—especially for anything beyond limited speech-related interventions. In-person sessions, whether one-on-one or in groups, are crucial for a child’s developmental progress. However, digital plays a powerful supporting role. At Butterfly Learnings, every interaction with the child is captured digitally, allowing parents to transparently track their child’s development. Our technology enables us to monitor quality across our centers and provides personalized home plans and development insights to families. This hybrid approach ensures we combine the warmth and effectiveness of in-person therapy with the efficiency, tracking, and scalability of digital tools.
- With over 400 therapists on board, how does Butterfly Learnings ensure quality and consistency across locations?
Ans. Ensuring quality across such a wide network begins with being fundamentally data-driven and technology-enabled. From the moment a child enters our system—starting with an assessment by a pediatric neurologist or developmental pediatrician—every session and interaction is logged into our proprietary web application. This digital backbone helps us track the child’s progress, enables therapists to tailor plans dynamically, and ensures complete transparency for parents through a dedicated app. On top of that, we have robust training, regular audits, and quality control mechanisms that assess both inputs and outcomes. We’re also proud to be the only therapy center in India certified by the Behavioral Health Center of Excellence (BHCOE), which underlines our commitment to the highest global standards in behavioral health care.
- What makes your proprietary technology platform a game changer in pediatric behavioral health?
Ans. Our technology platform is transformative because of the depth and breadth of data it captures. Over the years, we’ve amassed longitudinal data from more than 5,000 children—arguably the largest dataset of its kind in India. This allows us to benchmark outcomes and create data-backed protocols for various developmental profiles. For instance, if a child presents with a particular behavioral pattern, we now know what kind of therapy protocol typically leads to measurable improvement. This empowers us to set clearer expectations with families and hold ourselves accountable to defined standards of progress. The platform is not just a record-keeping tool—it’s a clinical decision support system that helps us optimize therapy and ensure consistency in care.
- BLISS is a standout initiative for inclusive education—how does it complement your core therapeutic model?
Ans. BLISS was born out of a critical realization—most parents seek therapy not just for behavioral improvements, but with the hope that their child will be academically rehabilitated and reintegrated. Unfortunately, many schools lack the resources or frameworks to support neurodivergent children effectively. BLISS bridges this gap by offering curriculum tailored to specific neurodiversities, delivered directly within our centers. Whether families choose NIOS or mainstream boards like CBSE, ICSE, or IB, we work with schools to provide in-school support wherever possible. By aligning educational progress with therapeutic goals, BLISS ensures that children receive holistic care that prepares them for real-world academic and social environments.
- Looking ahead, what’s the long-term vision for Butterfly Learnings in terms of reach and impact across India?
Ans. Currently, we’re supporting around 2,000 families every day—but our ambitions are much bigger. In the next two to three years, we aim to expand our reach to at least 10,000 families. Our vision is to scale not just the therapy component, but also BLISS and other initiatives that integrate education, diagnosis, and ongoing monitoring through technology. We’re committed to building a truly inclusive, tech-enabled ecosystem that can bring structured, measurable, and high-quality developmental support to every corner of India, making a lasting difference in the lives of children and their families.
