The business lure to Intellect's mental healthcare model

The Singapore-based mental health app's latest US$10 million round is the largest ever Series A raised by a mental health startup in Asia. But while its B2B play is pulling in newly mental health conscious clients like foodpanda, ShopBack, Carousell, and Singtel, competitors are starting to gain funding. Do Intellect's clients love it enough to stay?

In Asia, mental healthcare is largely stigmatised, doesn’t come cheap and lacks professionals

Intellect helps mainstream it, starting with a self-care function, before slowly introducing users to life coaching and therapy

Launched as a consumer app, Intellect’s core business today is in its enterprise solution, which gets business from prominent tech companies

But in a market where funding used to be scarce, it wouldn’t be difficult to replicate Intellect’s model to gain VC funding

“Hey, how are you feeling today?”

That’s the first question on the Intellect app. To answer, one needs to tap on the emoji that best reflects one’s state of mind, ranging from 😩 to 😄.

Feeling blah? The app will now offer recommendations. Do some reflection with a journal entry on the app, maybe? Or a sleep rescue session sleep rescue session Sleep rescue sessions Quick bite-sized support to help with poor sleep to help you get a good night’s sleep?

AUTHOR

Sheila Chiang

Based in Singapore, Sheila began her career working in high-growth startups, including a venture-backed online fashion retailer. Fascinated by the startup culture and the rise of unicorns and IPOs in Southeast Asia, she seeks to tell compelling stories on their journeys from idea to exit. She was previously at DealStreetAsia reporting on startups and venture capital.

View Full Profile