Startups revolutionizing mental health care
amita-adminIndia faces a significant mental health crisis, with 60 to 70 million people suffering from common and severe mental disorders. According to WHO statistics, the average suicide rate in India is 10.9 per lakh people, and 1 in every 20 individuals grapples with some form of mental health illness. Alarmingly, 50% of mental health conditions begin by age 14, and 75% develop by age 24 (Source: Dr. Ruchi Jain, Jaslok Hospital, ET Contributors).
In collaboration with Parivartan—a CSR venture of HDFC Bank—STEP hosted the groundbreaking Green Ribbon Fest, a Mental Health conclave dedicated to startups tackling mental health challenges in India and beyond. This article showcases the outstanding work done by three of the winning startups.
Himanshu Rajpurohit: Strangify
Business Model:
An AI-driven B2B mental healthcare platform offering individuals a safe space to express themselves and embark on their journey of well-being.
“Our technology leverages Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) from user interactions within the app, such as games and psychometric tests, to enhance and personalize the journey,” explains Rajpurohit.
Revenue Model:
Himanshu’s startup operates as a B2B platform using a subscription model, charging companies per employee each month. They secure yearly contracts with prices varying by region, including India, Southeast Asia, and global markets like the US.
The inspiration behind the project
Himanshu faced health issues at the tender age of 12 leading to depression. During this challenging period, he met a psychologist who profoundly changed his perspective. This experience inspired him to build Strangify to help others solve their mental health problems.
” I believe that without taking the right steps to address my mental health, I wouldn’t have achieved anything that I have today,” he adds.
Himanshu initially reached out to his LinkedIn connections offering free trials of his services. An HR from an Indian company was impressed with the product after a demo and signed up once it was commercially available.
Strangify: What makes it different
Strangify positions itself as a venting out platform and not as a mental health company, recognizing the stigma associated with the issue in markets like India. This helps establish trust.
Moreover, they leverage technology to broaden their influence, training it in specific psychological techniques to cater to a larger audience effectively.
Challenges
- Client retention: Ensuring clients use the services consistently is difficult. Although retention rates are high once clients start using the services, getting them to take the first step is challenging.
- Revenue generation: It takes time and careful planning to turn potential clients into paying ones.
Supriya Ananthakrishnan: Momly
Business Model: An advisory, networking, and discovery platform supporting women in every phase of motherhood with their mental, social, and physical well-being.
Revenue Model: The platform generates revenue through consultations, offering a range of services including psychological consultations, fitness expert advice, and participation in online and offline events and meetups. It employs both B2C subscription models and B2B annual models.
The inspiration behind the project
The inspiration for Momly stemmed from Supriya’s personal journey. After having her first child in late 2021, she realized that existing healthcare systems often neglect the comprehensive support new mothers need. Experiencing postpartum depression during the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic, she connected with her co-founder, Neha. Together, they discovered many first-time mothers shared similar struggles.
“By speaking with over 200 women, we confirmed that there was a significant need for this kind of support. We initially focussed on community building through events. Our first sale was a mother from Lucknow who had attended one of these events and joined the Premium Plus membership,” says Supriya.
Momly: What makes it different
Momly provides access to vetted mental health experts and additional services for comprehensive care. With an online community of over 5,000 women and regular offline meetups, it facilitates strong peer support. They also offer resources from reputable sources like the Indian Academy of Pediatrics and the Royal College of Gynaecology, enhancing their unique chatbot for quick responses to parenting and pregnancy queries.
Challenges
- Market Education and Awareness: Raising awareness about holistic well-being and making women realize the importance of prioritizing their own health
- Building Trust: Establishing trust with each new customer is a time-consuming process. Mental health issues are not typically shared through word-of-mouth, meaning each new customer needs to be individually educated and guided through their journey.
Jeya Dhevi: Kodate Parenting
Business Model:
A parent-child engagement platform that fosters habit-building in children and enhances parenting skills among parents.
Revenue Model:
Kodate offers app-based services, consulting, and group workshops, including 90-day habit transformation programs focused on specific behaviors. They provide comprehensive, end-to-end solutions for schools, starting with parent orientation at the beginning of the academic year and continuing with ongoing support through various interactions and training sessions.
The inspiration behind the project
The journey to creating Kodate began with Jeya’s 17 years in the tech industry, where she frequently interacted with parents and realized that they were more concerned about their children’s behavior and emotional well-being.
A turning point came when her 10-year-old daughter suffered from severe mental health issues. Therapy revealed that she had been bullied at school and felt unable to share her struggles with her parents, due to fear of judgment.
“The harrowing experience made me realize that effective parenting involves truly listening to and understanding our children’s needs and fears,”Jeya says.
“Our first sale came through digital marketing aimed at international markets. A single mother in Malaysia engaged with our platform, and we offered her free add-ons for a year to refine our engagement model,” says Jeya.
Kodate Parenting: What makes it different
Kodate’s integrated and continuous services cover all aspects of parent and child interactions, unlike one-off solutions by individual therapists. Their positioning as an app for behavioral and habit change reduces the stigma associated with mental health services. Kodate’s specialization is its collaboration with schools to offer comprehensive support, including parent-teacher meetings, teacher training, and behavior identification.
Challenges
- Framework Development: Developing a preventive framework was challenging due to the lack of existing research focused on prevention rather than post-incident identification.
- Communication and Market Perception: Effectively communicating the issue and solution was tough, as parents often resisted acknowledging mental wellness issues due to stigma. This required careful messaging to build awareness and acceptance without causing alarm.
Technology and Mental health solutions
While all three founders acknowledge technology’s limitations in replacing human connection, they believe it can substantially reduce reliance on face-to-face interaction and improve the efficiency of mental healthcare delivery.
“By training technology in specific modalities, we can extend the reach and impact of these therapies,” says Himanshu.
“Technology is a valuable tool that can streamline information and provide quick responses,” says Supriya.
“ Predictive models can offer significant benefits by improving success rates and overall well-being,” says Jeya.
Important ethical considerations for mental health startups
- Data Privacy: Protecting users’ personal information is crucial. Conduct data collection and analytics transparently with user consent to maintain trust.
- Consumer Value First: Prioritize providing genuine help over profit, avoiding unnecessary sessions.
- User-Centric Approach: Serve users’ true needs rather than assumptions, focusing on genuine support.
- Anonymity and Consent: Allow users to post anonymously and ensure voluntary participation without coercion.
- Evidence-Based Solutions: Offer solutions backed by research to ensure effectiveness.
Advice to entrepreneurs in the mental health space
- Persistence: Stick with the journey despite challenges; success often comes with perseverance.
- Patience: Understand that success takes time, especially in the mental health field.
- Lifelong Learning: Keep evolving and adapting, even after initial success.
- Focus: Stay aligned with the core mission to ensure consistent progress.
- Customer Engagement: Continuously gather feedback to refine the product and meet market demands.
- Collaboration: Work with others to amplify impact and extend reach.
- Patience and Networking: Be patient and build relationships within the industry to foster growth.
Experience at the STEP Green Ribbon Fest
Participation in the Green Ribbon Fest was a highly positive and impactful experience for all three startups. It added a significant level of credibility to the startups, enhancing their reputation and trustworthiness. Furthermore, the fest served as an ideal platform to showcase initiatives. Participating in the fest enabled the startups to strengthen their pitches and secure significant deals.
In terms of impact, the fest notably increased awareness about the startups, particularly in the B2C space, which is vital for enhancing platform engagement. The exposure gained from the fest and subsequent promotion on platforms like LinkedIn has proven invaluable, attracting attention and interest from potential users and partners.
