And joining in the ever growing list of sports personalities investing in startups, Robin Uthappa, through his VC firm Caffeine Ventures, has invested an undisclosed amount in Healtheminds, a healthcare technology startup.
These newly raised funds will be used by the company to launch a new product and to increase its reach across India. The company will also hire for its operations team.
Founded in 2013 by Ankita Puri – a former investment banker and Sunita Maheshwari, Yale-trained cardiologist, Healtheminds focuses on tackling mental and emotional problems of patients. The company also has an online platform through which users can connect with counsellors, psychologists and coaches through video, telephonic and chat communication systems.
It claims that currently, there are more than 70 professionals across India on its platform. It provides video counselling while keeping the identity of the caller anonymous. Until now, the company was bootstrapped and claims that of doubling its users every month. The company aim to do at least 5,000 online therapy sessions each month on the platform.
Robin Uthappa, who invested in this round, said,
I invested in HealthEminds to help break this barrier that is holding people back from reaching their full potential. Today, online is a great medium for people to easily reach out for help whether it is to overcome depression, blocks or break barriers in their lives with the right help.
Commenting on investment from Robin, Sunit Maheshwari, co-founder of the company, said,
It’s wonderful to have an investor on board who understands the importance of the mind in sport and in health.
The company is charging between ₹500 and ₹1500 per session depending on the professional. It works with 45 mental healthcare professionals nationally and is targeting to increase this number to 100 by the end of the calendar year. Healtheminds panel of professionals comprises of renowned psychologists, counsellors, life coaches, psychiatrists and nutritionists, who are all equipped to help improve personal and professional development.
Users can book an online session with a professional of their choice at a time that suits them and have a video session from the comfort of their home.
As for Uthappa, this is not the first time he is investing in a startup. Earlier, he had invested close to Rs 1.5 crore in iTiffin – a Bangalore based healthy food/tiffin delivery service provider.
