Being, a startup founded in 2020 by CEO Varun Gandhi and CTO Abhishek Sharma, is on a mission to transform mental health care with its innovative app. Drawing inspiration from Gandhi’s own childhood struggle with anxiety, Being encourages users to create a comprehensive map of their mental challenges, paving the way for more effective solutions.
Mapping Your Mental Landscape
To get started, users can input their current feelings or problems, such as “I’m not feeling very well today” or “My physical condition is not very good.” If the issue isn’t already on the map, they can create a new entry. The app then constructs a map that helps users visualize their key concerns and connections, shedding light on the reasons behind their emotions.
According to Gandhi, “The map is continually growing as people share their problems, revealing dynamic connections as individuals move through their challenges.”
Empowering Personalized Solutions
Being offers three distinct approaches to address mental health concerns:
- Interactive Mini-Therapy Sessions: Crafted by licensed mental health professionals, these sessions focus on techniques like mindfulness-based cognitive therapy.
- AI-Assisted Journaling: Users receive prompts to reflect on their current experiences. As they write, AI-guided questions facilitate self-exploration.
- Quick Evidence-Based Psychology Lessons: Ideal for those short on time, these lessons provide a rapid understanding of the underlying reasons behind emotions.
A Fresh Perspective on Mental Health
Being emphasizes starting from the foundation of what a person is feeling at any given moment, avoiding automatic labeling or categorization into conditions like depression or anxiety. Gandhi explains, “We’re looking at mental health as something experienced in the present moment, as most of us have our unique struggles.”
Accessibility and Subscriptions
The Being app is available for both iOS and Android, offering two subscription tiers. The first, priced at $9.99 per month, is self-paced, while the second, at $19.99 per month, includes additional support and one-on-one conversations with a mental health professional.
Investment and Future
Being is in the process of closing a $3 million seed round, following earlier pre-seed rounds led by Multiply Ventures and Better Capital in 2021 and 2022, indicating its strong growth potential, notes NIX Solutions.
While Being aims to serve everyone, individuals accustomed to traditional mental health care may find its open model of care a departure from the norm. Nevertheless, Being represents a promising leap towards personalized mental well-being solutions.