Brighter

Brighter is a Santa Monica-based internet and healthcare company that connects dentists with dental patients at pre-negotiated fees. Previously serving only private individuals, the company introduced Brighter PRO in 2014, offering its network of dentists to companies and groups who self-fund their dental benefits. Brighter currently serves Southern California, including Greater Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, and the Inland Empire. The company has announced plans to expand nationally. The company's founder and CEO is internet entrepreneur Jake Winebaum.

Brighter has been profiled in several national and regional publications such as ABC World News with Diane Sawyer,[1] The Los Angeles Times [2] Bloomberg BusinessWeek,[3] Reuters,[4] Santa Monica Daily Press,[5] and TechCrunch.[6] Brighter was featured on ABC 7[7] as the suggested alternative to dental insurance for adults who will not be covered for their dental care by the Affordable Care Act or Covered California.

Brighter PRO

In 2014, the company launched Brighter PRO, a dental benefit plan for self-funding companies.[8] Companies used self-insured plans similar to preferred-provider (PPO) dental plans, but have access to an online platform to search for local providers, compare, and select a dentist.[9]

Funding

According to TechCrunch,[6] Brighter.com is backed by various investors including Mayfield Fund and Benchmark. It received its first round of funding in 2011. In October 2013, the company announced it had received an additional $15 million in Series C funding from Tenaya Capital, Mayfield, and Benchmark.[10] Brighter.com has secured about $28 million in investments to date.

References

  1. Faris, Paula. ‘Real Money’ Tips to Make That Dentist Visit a Little Less Painful. ABC News. ABC News Network, 17 July 2013. Web. 27 Sept. 2013.
  2. Zamosky, Lisa. Cutting the Cost of Dental Care. Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2013. Web. 27 Sept. 2013.
  3. Clark, Patrick. A Dental Care Startup Sees Profit in Obamacare's Gaps. BusinessWeek. Bloomberg Business Week, 03 June 2013. Web. 27 Sept. 2013.
  4. McBride, Sarah. Start-up Tries Tapping Market of Uninsured Dental Patients. Reuters. Reuters, 3 June 2013. Web. 27 Sept. 2013.
  5. Butt, Ameera. New Website Offers Affordable Dental Care. Santa Monica Daily Press. Santa Monica Daily Press, 26 July 2013. Web. 27 Sept. 2013.
  6. 6.0 6.1 Empson, Rip. Brighter Launches A New, Free Version Of Its Dental Service To Bring Affordable Care To The Uninsured. TechCrunch RSS. TechCrunch, 3 June 2013. Web. 27 Sept. 2013.
  7. Dador, Denise. Covered California: Dental Care Coverage. ABC7. KABC, 8 Oct. 2013. Web. 14 Oct. 2013.
  8. Brighter Turns To Employers With Brighter PRO SoCal Tech. SoCal Tech, 26 September 2014. Web.
  9. Taufen, Amber. Ancillary Plans Get a New Spin Benefits Pro. Benefits PRO, 9 June 2014. Web.
  10. Grant, Rebecca. Smile! Brighter’s alternative to dental insurance keeps your pearly whites from falling out VentureBeat. VentureBeat, 29 October 2013. Web. 29 Oct. 2013.

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