He’d been a jet-setter, a man who’d been on the board of directors of a reputed company for 10 years, a textbook case of what is considered success in India. Yet, when he finally put his feet up, life with his wife of 25 years turned into hell.



He felt suffocated with her, but divorce was not an option. They had two growing daughters. What was he to do?

Emotional wellness startup YourDost opened a tiny window. During counseling, he realized he and his wife had hardly spent two full years together. They’d lost touch – and both would have to work hard to restore it.

“At least 50% of corporate sector employees in India have mental health issues,” says co-founder and CEO Richa Singh, who stepped into this minefield one and a half years ago.

Her startup has helped over 350,000 people since then. “This is a huge market,” says Richa.

And guess who else shares that belief? Leading VC firm SAIF Partners, which has invested a good $1 million in a pre-series A round of funding in the Bangalore-based startup.

“The anonymity and secrecy YourDost offers is well suited to address the issue of mental illness, which has stigma attached to it in India,” says Mridul Arora, principal with SAIF Partners.

Existing angel investors took this funding round to a total of $1.2 million.

The darkness within

Be it the youngster dreaming of his own startup, the student waiting for a placement, the housewife, or the parent, a huge cross-section of people struggle to cope with the pressures of modern day living in India – and find themselves alone.

“Rising aspirations, changing lifestyles, being on your own, far from your family or the place where you grew up, all these factors add to the pressures,” says Richa.

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So strong is the fear of being called “mad,” or “weak,” or “a loser” that people would rather sweep it under the carpet than talk about it. That’s what happened to Richa’s friend at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati back in 2008. Her shocking suicide was the primary trigger for YourDost.

Richa’s friend had been plagued by the anxiety of placements but had never discussed it.

Not only did Richa not forget, but she began to talk and write about emotional wellness. “I realized that 90% of my friends and others I spoke to grappled with such pressures, but didn’t approach anyone for counseling.”

An online space like YourDost, with its accompanying anonymity and trained counselors, could be just the place to unburden the despair within. Dost is Hindi for “friend.”

In December 2014, she launched the startup along with Puneet Manuja, Prakhar Verma, and Satyajeet Nandekar.

Tip of the iceberg

Research says one in every four Indians suffers from some form of mental illness.

Proof of it lies in around 800 people seeking out YourDost’s 350 counselors every day through the website or the app. “Around 30% of our clients seek help on relationships, pre- or post-marital,” says Richa. This category is followed by those anxious about their careers or in academics.

Up next are housewives who speak about difficult relationships with their husbands and in-laws or frustrations about giving up their careers, and then there are parents who want to know how to build bridges with their kids.

Almost 55% of YourDost’s clients are working professionals. Most are in the age group of 18 to 35. “Once a person speaks to our counselor, it usually takes around of six sessions to address the issue.”

Some patients are referred to psychiatrists, as they may require medical treatment.

The market for emotional wellness

Platforms like LoveDoctor and Healtheminds have been helping Indians cope with relationships or other triggers for emotional disorders.

But Richa says YourDost is not here just for counseling. “We are not an NGO. We want to do it as a business model,” she says. While the online chat sessions with counselors are free, they monetize by charging for voice or video calls.

Scalability is what investors see in YourDost.

It had raised angel funding in November last year. The pre-series A round has seen repeat investment from angels like Venk Krishnan and Subbarao Telidevara of NuVentures, Phanindra Sama of Redbus, Aprameya of Taxi4Sure, Paula Mariwala of Seedfund, Vibhu Garg of Unicommerce, and Gaurav Bhalotia of Flipkart.

The biggest slice of a million dollars has come from SAIF Partners. “This is an out and out commercial investment for us. We have done it with a 10-year view in mind, as there is high latent demand in this segment,” Mridul tells Tech in Asia. “The startup has been getting a lot of traffic and is monetizing,” he says.

The fresh funds will be used for offline activities like creating awareness and expanding the team. Richa says, “We also have a lot of data. So we will use the money for research and predictive analysis too.”

Source:http://www.barbaric.com.ng/new-startup-seeks-fill-gap-indias-mental-health-system/