Top 20 mental health startups
2022-09-06
Confido
10 minutes
In England, 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem of some kind each year.
This affects people from all walks of life in a variety of ways, whether they have a specific diagnosis or are struggling with external factors, like a stressful work environment. For example, over 800,000 people in the UK are affected by workplace stress, anxiety or depression every year.
Unsurprisingly, this has been exacerbated by the pandemic, as 83% of young people with mental health issues said it has worsened their condition.
The global startup scene has answered the call, with the number of mental health and wellness businesses exploding in recent years.
There’s nothing we love more than purpose-led organisations. Having worked with mental health startups ourselves, we’re always eager to learn about other exciting businesses in this space.
Here are 20 mental health and wellness startups building a better future:
Wellness tech
Wellness/wellbeing tech is everywhere. Whether it’s a running tracker, a step counter or a meditation app, chances are you’re already using wellness tech to some degree.
About: MindLabs specialises in video classes for your mind - rooted in neuroscience, led by experts. With MindLabs you have access to hundreds of live and on-demand classes to help you stress less, sleep more and feel happier.
Location: London
Company size: 11 to 50 employees
Funding: MindLabs has raised a total of £3.9m in funding over two rounds. Their latest funding was raised in October 2021 from a Seed round.
About: Clementine is on a mission to reduce the stress and build the confidence of millions of women. Clementine is an app and a community that helps women who are feeling tired, stressed, anxious and a bit low - to feel calm and confident. Helping women to interrupt and shift their negative thoughts and replace them with empowering ones.
Location: UK
Company size: 11 to 50 employees
Funding: Clementine has raised a total of £1m in funding through one round. This was a Seed round raised in October 2020.
About: Can’t sleep? Sleepstation is a clinically validated sleep improvement programme that can help you sleep better after just four sessions. Delivering remote care with a personal touch, the Sleepstation team has helped tens of thousands of people get a good night’s rest.
Location: UK
Company size: 11 to 50 employees
Funding: Sleepstation is part of Born Digital Healthcare, who have won grant funding and been commissioned by the NHS.
Workplace support
With stress, depression, or anxiety accounting for 55% of all working days lost in 2019/20, employers are looking for digital solutions to help improve the mental health of their teams. With a range of options, there really is something to suit every need.
About: Oliva was founded by people who needed mental health support at some point, but had a hard time actually getting it. Their team of mental health professionals is hand-picked by their highly-experienced Chief Clinical Officer. They have their own clinically-backed, 100% evidence-based care model. And instead of providing a one-size-fits-all service, they tailor our care to the individual needs of each employee.
Location: UK
Company size: 51 to 100 employees
Funding: Oliva has raised a total of $8.6m in funding over three rounds. Their latest funding was raised in March 2022 from a Seed round.
About: Unmind is a workplace mental health platform that empowers employees to measure, understand, and improve their mental wellbeing. Their platform is home to clinically-backed digital tools to proactively improve mental health.
Location: UK
Company size: 11 to 50 employees
Funding: Unmind has raised a total of $63.2m in funding over five rounds. Their latest funding was raised in May 2021 from a Series B round.
About: Sanctus want to make it easy for employees to talk to a professional about their mental health and wellbeing at work. By placing Sanctus Coaches (or mental health personal trainers) into businesses, they’re able to create a safe talking space for team members.
Location: UK
Company size: 51 to 100 employees
Funding: Sanctus has raised a total of £4.3m in funding. This was through a Seed round raised in January 2022.
About: Spill provides therapy sessions, manager mental health training, and regular feelings check-ins — embedded into your company's Slack or MS Teams. They give employees quick and easy access to qualified therapists. Fun fact – The Confido X Jobs For Good team recently signed up to Spill and we’re loving it!
Location: UK
Company size: 50 to 100 employees
Funding: Spill App has raised a total of $3.5m in funding over two rounds. Their latest funding was raised in January 2021 from a Seed round.
Support for the whole family
Mental health is an extremely personal thing, which is why it’s amazing to see so many different startups offering support that’s truly tailored.
About: Dubbed the ‘Tinder for mums’, Mush helps new mums find friends who live nearby with kids of the same age. They can join chat groups, arrange meetups, get advice from parenting experts and fellow mums on the topics keeping them awake at night.
Location: UK
Company size: 1 to 10 employees
Funding: Mush has raised a total of $4m in funding over three rounds. Their latest funding was raised in August 2019 from a Non-equity Assistance round.
About: stem4 provides access to free mental health apps and resources to support teenage mental health. They’ve seen over 2m app downloads over 197 countries, with 501 schools signed up to their Head Ed education programme.
Location: UK
Company size: 11 to 50
Funding: In 2019, 25% of stem4 income came from community fundraising. 
About: Healios Mental Health Service is focused on ensuring children, young people and adults have the best chance of achieving their goals and fulfil their life's potential through supporting mental health, emotional wellbeing and resilience. They provide a wide range of psychological assessments and psychological therapy, as well as personalised wellbeing and prevention tools.
Location: UK
Company size: 51 to 100 employees
Funding: Healios has raised a total of £9.2m in funding over 2 rounds. Their latest funding was raised in May 2021 from a Series A round.
Community support
When experiencing mental health issues, it’s possible to become withdrawn and isolated from your friends and family. The following startups are working to help these people reconnect so they can get help from their community.
About: Life isn't always smooth sailing, but you're not alone! At TalkLife you can instantly meet supportive people who actually care and want to listen. Share what's on your mind and get the help you need. Meet new friends who really get you, you're not alone!
Location: UK
Company size: 11 to 50 employees
Funding: TalkLife has raised a total of $2.1m in funding over 10 rounds. Their latest funding was raised in September 2019 from a Seed round.
About: HealthUnlocked is the world’s largest social network for health. The team provide a holistic approach to healthcare, so users can take control of their health and connect with people who are experiencing similar issues.
Location: UK
Company size: 11 to 50
Funding: HealthUnlocked has generated £5.7m of investment over seven funding rounds.
About: Tomo is a type of psychotherapy designed to help people with depression build positive habits and break free from unhealthy cycles. The Tomo app helps to track new habits and comes with a built-in community of anonymous supportive peers.
Location: UK
Company size: 1 to 10 employees
Funding: HelloTomo has raised £350k from a pre-seed round with Activate. 
About: Togetherall is a safe place to talk, share and support others who are experiencing similar issues. As well as access to a supportive community, Togetherall also provides self-assessments and resources, self-guided courses and help from trained professionals.
Location: UK
Company size: 101 to 250
Funding: Togetherall has raised a total of $10m in funding through one round in November 2020.
About: Use your smartphone's location to find mental health support near you. The Hub of Hope’s GPS service pulls up a list of local groups in your area and the times you can access them.
Location: UK
Company size: 1 to 10 employees
Funding: The Hub of Hope is a service provided by Chasing the Stigma, who have generated £53.6K of investment.
Exciting products
The following startups have created some of the most unique products in the mental health space...
About: thymia uses video games based on Neuropsychology alongside analyses of video and speech to make mental health assessments smart, starting with depression. Their online platform empowers clinicians so they can assess depression faster, more accurately and objectively.
Location: UK
Company size: 11 to 50 employees
Funding: thymia has raised a total of £780K in funding through one round. This was a Pre-Seed round raised in June 2021
About: The notOK App™ is a free digital panic button that takes the guesswork out of asking for help when you're feeling vulnerable. Up to five trusted contacts will receive a message with your GPS location when you need to reach out for help. If you do not receive a response from your trusted contacts, you have the option of contacting a local warmline or the Crisis Text Line for further support. The app has been created by teenage brother and sister team, Charlie and Hannah Lucas.
Location: USA
Company size: 1 to 10 employees
Funding: So far, the team have received $80,000 of funding.
About: BioBeats has created its own software, app and wearable technology that can track biometric and psychometric data. These devices give wellness scores and help deliver personalised mental health resources.
Location: UK
Company size: 11 to 50 employees
Funding: BioBeats has raised $6.6m over seven funding rounds.
About: Moment Company have developed the Moment Pebble - a device with a 30-second light sequence which guides you through a short calming breathing exercise. Their goal is to make the practise of taking a moment easy and accessible, both through the Moment Pebble and their online Moment Community.
Location: UK
Company size: 1 to 10 employees
Funding: Unknown
About: This Medtech company offers medication-free, at home treatment for depression through a brain stimulation headset. Paired with an AI-powered app therapy program, this headset is said to help reduce symptoms of depression.
Location: Sweden
Company size: 1 to 10 employees
Funding: Flow Neuroscience has raised a total of $12.6m in funding over 5 rounds. Their latest funding was raised in August 2021 from a Series A round.
It’s amazing to see so many innovative startups in this space. We want to do everything we can to help support them and the fantastic work they’re doing.
If you belong to a mental health startup and would like to have a chat about how we could scale your Product or Tech teams, do get in touch at contact@confidotalent.com.
Find a job in a mental health startup on our sister site - a new job board called Jobs for Good!
Have we missed your favourites? Let us know on Twitter or LinkedIn, we’d love to hear from you!