Headstream, an innovation program by SecondMuse that works to improve the mental well-being of adolescents, announced the members of their inaugural Entrepreneur Residency Program. The program is an innovative six-month initiative designed to support a cohort of seven entrepreneurs developing and integrating youth mental well-being products for schools and the broader healthcare ecosystem. The program will focus on expanding the cohort’s ability to reach new audiences for their digital mental well-being products, with a specific focus on supporting systematically excluded populations of students, including BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, Latino, and multi-hyphenate youth.
This program comes at a critical moment for youth mental well-being as recent data shows that 40% of students overall report feelings of sadness or hopelessness, and more specifically, 50% of LGTBQ+ young people who wanted mental health care in the past year were unable to get it.
Residents will receive support in key areas to help them position both themselves and their companies to unlock growth and reach new markets. These areas include mentorship from leaders in the space, coaching, collaboration with Headstream’s Youth Collective, and resources to expand their market reach and create sustainable business models, among others.
Building off of the success of previous programs and incubators, such as Headstream’s Accelerator, the Residency program was created with entrepreneurs in mind who have already built proven innovations that are effectively addressing youth’s needs. The program is designed to support the cohort of Residents to scale and broaden their ability to positively impact youth mental well-being.
Key components of the Headstream Residency include:
- Cohort-based learning and support: Participants will benefit from peer-to-peer learning, networking opportunities, and guided support.
- In-person conferences: Opportunities for cohort building and ecosystem development while continuing to build their company strategies.
- Customer identification and acquisition support: Residency participants will receive guidance on understanding potential new markets and identifying target customers.
- Youth co-creation: Collaboration with Headstream's Youth Collective will ensure that the solutions developed are aligned with the needs and perspectives of young people.
- Founder well-being and technical advisor support: Participants will have access to resources to support their personal and professional growth, as well as technical expertise in areas such as digital edtech, and health spaces.
- Amplification: Headstream will help residency participants raise awareness of their solutions and their impact.
Meet the inaugural Headstream Residency cohort:
- Clayful, founded by Maria Barrera, is a platform designed to enhance mental health support within schools through on-demand and weekly coaching. By providing students with access to a human coach in just 60 seconds, Clayful ensures immediate help for challenges such as managing emotions, problem-solving, and working through daily stressors. This accessible support model has been adopted across schools nationwide, offering real-time assistance to thousands of students.
- Manatee, founded by Damayanti Dipayana, is a virtual mental health care platform designed to meet the unique needs of families. Offering personalized, 12-week care plans that include child and family therapy along with parent coaching, Manatee is focused on providing accessible, family-first mental health services for kids living in today’s fast-paced world.
- Maro, founded by Kenzie Butera Davis, is on a mission to bridge the 11-year gap between the onset of mental health symptoms and early intervention in youth. By partnering with schools, districts, clinics, and health plans, Maro creates a digital ‘medical neighborhood’ for early intervention and risk detection. Recognized for its groundbreaking efforts, Maro has significantly improved parent involvement in student mental health screening.
- Neolth, founded by Dr. Katherine Grill, is a mobile app that integrates technology with youth voices to provide mental health support for students globally. The company boasts a youth ambassador network spanning 35 states and 20 countries. Named one of the top global solutions for youth mental health by the World Economic Forum, Neolth continues to redefine co-development in digital health products and media alongside young people.
- Somethings, founded by Patrick Gilligan, is a low-cost tele-behavioral health platform that connects teens with 20-28-year-old Certified Peer Specialist Mentors and clinical providers. The platform can be used for routine outpatient care or as a support system during transitions out of acute care, ensuring teens receive age-appropriate mental health support.
- Tellmi, founded by Suzi Godson PhD and Kerstyn Comley PhD, is an early-stage digital mental health service offering young people aged 11-25 access to anonymous, pre-moderated, and age-banded peer support. The platform also includes pre-emptive counselor intervention, Solution Focused Therapy, and a directory of resources and services. Aligned with the THRIVE model, Tellmi has been independently evaluated to improve mental health outcomes.
- Welfie, founded by Dr. Steven Moyo, offers a comprehensive whole-school health platform that helps schools and districts monitor and respond to mental, physical, and social health concerns for both students and staff. By focusing on an integrated approach to school health, Welfie equips educational institutions with the tools they need to promote overall well-being.
“This is a very exciting time, as we expand our program initiatives at Headstream by launching the Residency, which builds off the impact and learnings of accelerating youth mental health startups over the last five years,” said David Ball, Sr. Director, of the Well-being Group at SecondMuse. “We’ve identified seven of the most impactful companies supporting youth mental health and are committed to supporting their growth so that more young people have access to culturally competent mental well-being care.”
“We’re thrilled to bring in such a talented cohort, and to further develop their ability to create real impact in schools, and the healthcare system, and in young people’s lives around the country,” said Adina Safer, the Residency cohort lead for Headstream.
For more information about, Headstream, the Entrepreneur Residency Program, and the members of the cohort, please visit: https://www.headstreaminnovation.com/entrepreneur-residency-program