CHENNAI : One thing that everyone detests is talking about their medical problems in public. And if the problem is associated with mental health, secrecy becomes of paramount importance. This is what MindGuru, a startup based in Malappuram district of Kerala, offers.Abdul Saleem, the founder and CEO of the startup, shared that the company started out by bootstrapping. “The idea to launch the company came to me after accompanying one of my friends, who had some psychological issues, to a hospital. He made me promise not to tell anybody about the visit. Of course, his worries were genuine as in our society, once a person gets labelled as a psychiatric or psychological patient, his or her life turns into a nightmare,” said Saleem.
Saleem initially put in around Rs 10 lakh to set up a website for his company. “I took help of some professionals and set up a website. I contacted psychologists and talked to them about the need for such a website and app,” he said. The response was tremendous.“Everyone agreed on the need for such a website. MindGuru, which was launched a year ago, has a panel of 16 qualified and licensed psychologists. The patients can contact them via phone or talk through video conference from their homes. The most important feature of our website and app is that the identity of the patient is kept secret,” said Saleem.
Till date, we have had 300 patients, he said, adding,”The number is growing.” Mental health has always been neglected across the country. “Social taboos, ridicule, and many other factors prevent people from seeking the much-needed treatment,” he said. But in the case of online counselling, all you need is a smartphone or a computer with internet connection and balance in your bank account to pay the bills. “The rates are based on the hours and the number of consultations a person requires. Nobody will know about your affliction and you get the much needed medical help,” he explained.
The platform has been designed in a way that even those who do not have any technical know-how are able to access the services. “Our multi-language platform will be launched soon,” said Saleem.
According to Saleem, the psychologists associated with the website are trained on a regular basis to keep them updated with the latest technology. “Our service charges can meet only the maintenance and running cost of the platform. We respect the affordability of the users while ensuring professional service payments to the psychologists,” he said.
He said that they offer a full spectrum of services in the field of psychology to help people. Here, the psychologists can explore your behaviour and mental processes, including perception, cognition, attention, emotion, intelligence, motivation, brain functioning, and personality.According to him, a patient can access counselling from anywhere at any time of the day. “Adolescent problems, addiction management, stress management, learning disabilities, mood disorder, anxiety counselling, parent-child counselling and emotional intelligence counselling are some of the services offered,” he said.
REVENUE MODEL
We take 25 per cent of the consultation fees, as a service charge for all the consultations and the other 75 per cent is what the psychologists earn.The fee may vary from Rs 250 to Rs 3,000 for each session.
INVESTMENT AND USE OF FUNDS
Invested Rs 10 lakh
Looking for Rs 20 lakh more
Rs 16 lakh for Marketing
Rs 2 lakh as salary for hired for first year
Rs 2 lakh for running expenses.