National media momentum for a children's mental health start-up
Orli Health was founded by an NHS A&E doctor determined to change what happens after a child in crisis leaves the emergency department. Having repeatedly treated children who then faced months, sometimes years, on a waiting list for mental health support, the founder built a playful, AI-powered platform designed to make emotional support immediate and stigma-free, for children, and the parents supporting them.
As an early-stage health-tech start-up preparing a crowdfund and angel fundraise, Orli Health needed to build credibility and visibility fast, on a subject that sits at the intersection of children's wellbeing, education policy and technology, three areas where trust is hard-won and scrutiny is high.
The founder, still working clinical shifts alongside running the business, needed a communications partner who could translate frontline clinical experience into a compelling public narrative, without ever overstating the evidence or overselling the platform.
Jefferson Communications built an integrated communications programme spanning press office support, personal profile-building and strategic positioning. We ran a proactive and reactive media operation: monitoring breaking news on children's mental health, school phone policies and youth wellbeing, and rapidly turning around expert commentary and interview offers whenever a relevant story broke.
This included securing the founder as a spokesperson across national broadcast and print outlets, women's lifestyle media, and specialist HR and education trade titles, consistently framing him as a working clinician-entrepreneur rather than simply a tech founder.
We also supported major business milestones: coordinating press materials and media outreach around a start-up accelerator investment, helping secure entry into national small business and innovation award programmes (including a widely recognised high-street bank's entrepreneur competition), and managing a research collaboration with an external partner to generate original insight for media use.
Throughout, we worked closely with the founder and his co-founder to keep messaging consistent as the business moved from pre-seed fundraising into wider commercial and schools-facing partnerships.
Over an intensive, fast-moving campaign, Orli Health achieved sustained coverage across national newspapers, broadcast media, women's lifestyle titles and specialist trade press, establishing the founder as a credible, in-demand voice on children's mental health and the realities of NHS frontline care.
Coverage in a major national broadsheet on children's school attendance and wellbeing helped anchor the brand's core message in the public conversation around youth mental health.
The founder's recognition in a prominent national small business competition provided a valuable third-party endorsement at a pivotal fundraising stage, while ongoing reactive press office support ensured Orli Health was consistently positioned to respond to breaking news moments relevant to its mission.
This sustained visibility supported the company's progress from early pilot conversations into a wider schools-facing rollout across the UK, helping build the public trust and profile needed to support both fundraising and commercial growth. Further detail on Orli Health's platform and mission can be found on the company's own website.
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