As seen in Millionaire MNL, Dr. Harry Ritter is not your average startup CEO. With an MD from the University of Miami and clinical experience at Massachusetts General Hospital, Ritter has taken his deep medical training and fused it with Silicon Valley-style innovation to tackle one of America’s most urgent problems: mental health access.
In 2017, he founded Alma, a digital-first platform that empowers therapists to run private practices, accept insurance, and connect with more patients, without sacrificing care quality or affordability. Today, Alma is a trusted partner to tens of thousands of providers across the U.S., driving teletherapy adoption and reshaping how care is delivered.
Building Alma with Empathy and Scale
Ritter’s idea for Alma was born out of a frustration shared by many physicians: too many people need help, but can’t afford it or find it. Alma solves that by making it easier for therapists to run insurance-friendly practices with digital tools for billing, scheduling, and patient matching.
The platform’s success speaks volumes:
- $28M Series B and $50M Series C raised to date
- 30–40% provider growth quarter-over-quarter
- 95%+ teletherapy usage among members
- Partnership with the American Psychological Foundation to award $50,000 Empowering Minds scholarships
“Mental health is a massive market. Virtual care is here to stay. Technology should evolve around that experience,” Ritter said in a Q&A with NYC Founder Guide.
More Than a Marketplace, A Mission
Under Ritter’s leadership, Alma goes beyond tech infrastructure. The Empowering Minds program, launched in 2024, provides financial and emotional support to psychology students, pairing recipients with licensed therapists and seasoned mentors.
This initiative reflects a central tenet of Ritter’s philosophy: build infrastructure, but invest in people. The company’s frequent team offsites and strong internal culture have also helped Alma stay ahead of the mental health innovation curve.
From Medicine to Mission-Driven Entrepreneurship
Before launching Alma, Ritter worked at Oscar Health, where he gained hands-on experience with health insurance systems, and at McKinsey & Company, where he sharpened his lens on healthcare systems at scale. But it’s his physician’s perspective that grounds everything.
“Build your team from day one with talented individuals, and empower them to do their best work.”
This mindset is central to Alma’s growth strategy and product design. Whether it’s enabling small therapy practices to thrive or partnering with insurers to streamline access, Ritter stays focused on sustainable impact, not hype.
