Intellect (Headquarters: Singapore) provides mental health care applications to 3 million people in 20 countries and regions, mainly in Asia. The app provides users with self-care guidance, live support from certified coaches, and matches with psychologists and psychiatrists. Based on funding received from Tiger Global, JAFCO Asia, Headline Asia, DG Daiwa Ventures, Y Combinator, MS&AD Ventures, and PERSOL Holdings, Intellect Japan Co., Ltd. will be established in September 2022 and will also begin market expansion into Japan. Bottom. We asked Theodoric Chew, founder and CEO of Intellect, about its founding history and future prospects.
have experienced anxiety themselves and realize the importance of support
――Please tell us how Intellect was established.
My first startup was in the digital content space in 2014. After selling that company, I worked at various startups. He led the marketing team for Voyagin, a travel technology company that provides travel events and marketplaces, which was acquired by Rakuten. After that, I worked at Entrepreneur First, a firm that invests in deep tech founders, supporting the growth and marketing of investees.
In 2019, I founded Intellect, a mental health services company, with CTO Anurag Chutani. In fact, the background is the pain I experienced when I was 16 years old. I had anxiety (anxiety attacks) and met with a therapist and psychologist. I am so lucky to have the support of them and my family.
Theodoric Chew
intelligence
Co-Founder and CEO
At 16, he dropped out of Singapore’s prestigious Raffles Institution after battling anxiety. Meet with a therapist or psychologist. In 2014, at the age of 20, he founded Existgreat, an online news curator. After selling the company, he joined the marketing team for travel technology company Voyagin from 2017-2018. From 2018 to 2019, he participated in the growth and marketing support technology companies of the investment founder’s Entrepreneur First’s investees. .
Co-founded Intellect in October 2019 with co-founder and CTO Anurag Chutani. 2022 Selected Forbes 30 Under 30 – Asia – Healthcare & Science.
Over the years I’ve been around a therapist, my perspective on mental health has changed. I turned to shaping myself as an individual not only to deal with clinical issues, conflicts and illnesses, but also with anxiety. How can I be happier, how can I be more productive, how can I be a better person for the people I care about… I’ve moved in the direction of making myself a better and better person.
People in Asian countries such as Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong live in stressful societies. Mental health crises and suicide rates in Asian countries are said to be among the highest in the world, yet people do not receive mental health support. People who need help don’t know how to get it. We are working hard to change this.
Image: Intellect
Accessible, comprehensive platform for self-care, coaching, and professional matching
–Very good. What kind of solutions do you offer?
We are trying to create a pan-Asian mental health ecosystem with end-to-end mental health care through mobile applications. The solutions we provide range from simple day-to-day support to clinical care, but there are three main pillars.
The first is self-care. We offer hundreds of self-guided courses and self-guided courses. We provide distribution of recorded content, mini-games, and events in Japanese, English, Chinese, and other languages. Users can get support for minor issues they encounter.
The second is live support from a certified coach. Coaches are not therapists or psychologists, but they help users with non-clinical issues such as work stress, family relationship issues, and habits they want to improve. Users can choose their favorite coaches through the app, and exchange messages and consult through video conferences.
The third is matching with therapists, psychologists and psychiatrists. Refer individuals requiring clinical support to specialists. By providing such a service, it is easy for users to take a step forward when encountering difficulties.
The business model is BtoB, used in the form of corporate and organizational employee benefit plans. Used by large Fortune 500 companies to support their employees in Asia. Founded in 2019 and launched in public beta in 2020, it has become a platform used by 3 million people in just two years.
Employee assistance programs traditionally have helplines as part of their benefits, but utilization is very low. Booking a counselor session can take weeks or even months. Our solutions have very high usage rates because they actively help solve everyday problems. We develop performance-oriented people through programs that enable them to deal with problems more effectively.
Image: Intellect
Mental healthcare grows in importance due to Covid
——In 2 years, 3 million people have used it, and the growth is quite rapid. Please tell us the reason for the growth.
We have achieved very rapid growth in 2020-2021. I don’t think mental health is a new issue, but it wasn’t until recently that people started paying attention to it. The emergence of Covid-19 has brought about dramatic changes in people’s behaviour. Over the past two years, the highest percentages of people experienced pain, loneliness, depression and anxiety, all negative emotions that have increased due to the pandemic.
Awareness of one’s own pain leads people to seek support more openly. We’ve gotten a lot of media coverage ourselves, and companies have taken significant steps to invest in mental health.
“Demand for mental health care is on the rise. Are there any competitors in the Asian market in this regard?
The use of technology in mental health is a new field, and I think it’s good to have competitors involved. However, many competitors have only one factor, such as mindfulness apps. What makes Intellect different is that it builds a full stack that includes not just mindfulness app elements, but care through mentoring and matching with experts.
Aim to create a mental health super app and ecosystem
――In September 2022, you established a Japanese legal person. What milestones do you have for the coming year?
Today, we are a leader in mental health in Asia and have entered the Japanese market with a US$20 million Series A funding round from several prominent investors. While demand for spiritual support is very high in Japan, it is often prejudiced and it is said to be a difficult market to break into. Therefore, in order to understand the market, we formed a strong alliance with investors such as major Japanese VCs to enter the market.
We partnered with MS&AD Holdings to create a long-term mental health insurance product. In addition, we are working with investors and corporate partners to consider what kind of companies and enterprises we can support. We also want to provide solutions for local governments.
We are also committed to becoming the market leader in mental health in the Asia Pacific region. We want to create a super app for mental health across Asia. Expand our range of solutions and clinical services from coaching and counseling to mental health screening and personal care. I believe there are great opportunities to support the lives of many people not only in Japan but also in other parts of Asia.
――Please tell us about your long-term vision. Also, please leave a message for Japanese readers.
Our vision is to build a mental health ecosystem in APAC, not just an app or platform. From online screenings to in-person consultations, we want to help. We want people with mental health issues, big or small, to find the right and relevant support through our platform.
We believe that mental health is not a one company effort, but a joint effort of multiple organizations and governments. Ultimately, it affects companies as well. If a man is unwell or mentally weak, he cannot do his work well. Companies also incur costs from employees quitting or not showing up for work. All of these organizational and societal costs can be addressed by focusing on individual mental health.
We welcome all partnerships, including partnerships with Japanese companies, partnerships with strategic brand partners, partnerships with organizations interested in mental health, awareness partnerships and strategic collaborations. We want to have active discussions with these people. We are eager to work with companies interested in this program.
