Newly launched private equity firm Momentum Health Partners has acquired Arizona-based Advanced Autism Center for Treatment (AACT).
The AACT operates across both Arizona and Montana and offers applied behavior analysis (ABA), respite care, speech therapy, social groups and parent training programs.
AACT appears to be the first company in Phoenix-based Momentum Health Partners’ portfolio for now, but the group specifies that it will focus on investments in autism therapy, intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), behavioral health, ambulatory care and interventional pain.
The private equity group was spun out of the Phoenix-based real estate investment firm MCR Companies. Investment criteria, per Momentum Health Partners’ website, states that companies must be U.S.-based and founder or family-owned with strong cash flow, scalability potential and competitive market positions, but there is no minimum size requirement.
Ryan Harper and Ed Staren, both from MCR Companies, will head the new firm as partners.
“New year, new brand. Excited to partner with MCR on the rollout of Momentum Health Partners in 2026,” Harper wrote in a LinkedIn post earlier this year. “This is the same MCR team and infrastructure with a fresh, focused private equity brand!”
While terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, for AACT, this could signal eventual expansion to new territories, de novo centers or new service lines — one of Momentum Health Partners’ key priorities, according to its website.
“Our focus is on implementing systems, strengthening teams, and supporting sustainable growth while preserving clinical integrity,” Harper told AZ Big Media. “AACT is a strong first partnership, and we are focused on execution.”
Staren added that AACT’s “operational discipline, strong clinical leadership, and meaningful patient impact” were among the qualities that made it a solid investment.
Requests for comment from Momentum Health Partners and AACT have not yet been returned.