Chris Larson

Autism services remain one of behavioral health's most active investment categories, but the next wave of growth extends beyond traditional ABA. Leaders discuss adult services, multidisciplinary care, technology and the evolving platform opportunity. What’s more, speakers will make sense of the ongoing crackdown on ABA utilizing and spending.

Not all growth creates value. Investors and operators examine the operational, clinical and financial characteristics that separate premium behavioral health platforms from average businesses.

Two private equity partners and one behavioral health operator are put on the "hot seat" to answer one question: If you had $100 million to build or back a single behavioral health company from scratch today, what would it look like? From selecting the subsector and care model to defining the tech stack and payer strategy, these investors will defend their hypothetical bets and reveal where they see the greatest untapped potential for enterprise value in the decade ahead.

Across every subsector of behavioral health, shifting payer dynamics and new reimbursement models are becoming the primary catalyst for dealmaking and platform strategy. This session examines how evolving rate structures, the expansion of value-based contracting and state-level policy shifts are directly influencing asset valuations and reshaping the investment thesis for 2027.