What the business is
Delaware-based mental health app on iOS and Android with a subscription at $9.99 or $19.99 per month
The bet
People will engage with mental health care that starts from what they feel today, mapped into connected concerns, rather than from a diagnosis
Starting capital
$1.4M across two pre-seed rounds led by Multiply Ventures and Better Capital in 2021 and 2022
How it started
Being was founded in 2020 by CEO Varun Gandhi and CTO Abhishek Sharma. The idea came from Gandhi's own experience of anxiety growing up and a lack of awareness about mental health treatments.
What happened
The app offers three routes: short interactive therapy sessions designed by licensed professionals (for example Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy), AI-assisted journaling with follow-up prompts, and quick science-based psychoeducation bites. Gandhi says the AI is deliberately basic so the app does not try to replace science-backed therapy. Two tiers are on sale: $9.99 a month for a DIY experience and $19.99 with added support and one-on-one chats with a mental health professional.
What has to be true
The founder's own experience of anxiety showed how little people know about available treatments
Starting from a feeling avoids forcing users into a diagnostic label they may not recognise
Keeping the AI to journaling prompts avoids positioning it as a replacement for therapy
Two price tiers let users start cheaply and add a professional later
What can be applied
An open-ended starting point can lower the barrier to a first step, but TechCrunch noted users used to direct care may find it hard to navigate.
Aftermath
As of 2023-09-28 Being was live on iOS and Android and was closing a $3M seed round. TechCrunch noted some users used to more direct mental healthcare might find the open-ended care model hard to navigate.
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