40 Under 40 - 2024

Robert Krayn said he came up with the idea to create Talkiatry, a digital psychiatry platform, after a home invasion of his New York City apartment. 

The incident led Krayn to seek out a mental health professional, during which he realized there was a need for better access to care—specifically psychiatry. 

“I wanted to see a psychiatrist and I very quickly figured out it was almost impossible to find one,” said Krayn. “You would email 20 people and whoever responds is the person you go and see."

Krayn, who at the time was vice president for private equity firm MidOcean Partners, said he felt there should be more emphasis on matching a patient to a psychiatrist with the right specialty and insurance. 

"Psychiatrist lists are very specific in terms of age ranges, diagnoses, treatment modalities. ... Just because they can treat adults doesn't mean they enjoy doing it. They may enjoy treating children and adolescents, for example," Krayn said. 

He partnered with psychiatrist and co-founder Dr. Georgia Gaveras to build Talkiatry, an all-digital platform with a team of more than 300 full-time psychiatrists who've worked with 150,000 patients. Using an online assessment, the company matches patients to a psychiatrist based on reason for treatment, insurance plans, medication needs and other factors.

Krayn has arranged partnerships with more than 60 insurers and has expanded Talkiatry to 43 states. He also helped launch Talkiatry Mindshare, a program that allows backlogged providers to refer patients to the company's services. 

—Hayley DeSilva