• About
  • Article PDF
  • White Papers
  • Listening Tours​
  • Contact
  • Support Us
  • Advertising & Sponsorships
Sunday, February 5, 2023
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
Times Of Entrepreneurship
Growth and Equity for a Changing World
Times Of Entrepreneurship
No Result
View All Result

Mental Health App Cress Health Finds Partners In Kenya, Beirut, U.S. and Liberia To Make A Fast Impact

Best advice this startup received: Pick the path that leaves you with the least regrets later on. Worst advice: Wait until you've graduated and had a career to start making an impact.

by Shirly Piperno
January 20, 2021
in Deep Tech, Global
Reading Time: 6 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Cress Health co-founders Justin Kim, left, and Michael Lai.

For our Startup Spotlights, Times of Entrepreneurship scouted the most successful startups that spun out of top university competitions and programs. The impact of such awards can be many years in the making, especially in the DeepTech space.

Cress Health 

Mental Health for All

Providence, Rhode Island

Interviewee: Justin Kim, co-founder

Which university challenge did you win and when?

We won the National Grand Prize Winner, from the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) “Think like an Entrepreneur” Competition for $10,000, 2nd place at the Northwell Health Healthcare Entrepreneurship Community Challenge ($18,000), 1st place at the Long Island Business Plan Competition ($1,500), 3rd place at the Hofstra Digital Remedy Venture Challenge ($8,500). We were also finalists for the 2019 Brown Venture Prize competition, and part of the 2020 Brown Breakthrough Lab Cohort.

What is your elevator pitch? Has it changed much since you started?

Cress Health is a digital technology company that focuses on mental health. It was founded with the mission to destigmatize mental health and democratize access to mental wellness resources so everyone, regardless of age, gender, race, religion, or socioeconomic status gets the support they need to live the happy and fulfilling life that they deserve. We do this by developing digital technologies such as the ​Callie App​, the world’s first AI-driven personal wellness companion, and the Cress App​, a wellness platform that delivers chat-based peer support. Although our mission has always been the same, our focus has shifted during COVID-19 to focus on the mental wellness of young adults and healthcare workers, two populations whose mental health was disproportionately affected by the emotional stressors of the pandemic. 

How much have you raised so far and how many employees do you currently have?

We have not officially raised any venture funding and have yet to raise a seed round. We plan on doing so sometime in the summer. We have 3 employees currently working on the startup. 

What should we know about you?

Our founding team, Michael Lai (Hofstra ‘20) and Justin Kim (Brown ‘21) is diversely talented and impact-driven. Not only are we focused on creating a sustainable enterprise, but we’re trying to make the world a better place through our work. In line with this, we’ve started Cress Cares, Cress Health’s non-profit arm. It is working with the UNHCR (United Nations Refugee Agency) and JRS (Jesuit Refugee Service) as well as Step up for Kakuma (local community organization) to deliver the Cress app and cost-free mental wellness educational resources to the Kakuma refugee camp (in northwest Kenya). We are also working with community partners in Liberia to deliver mental health educational resources to women affected by sexual and gender based violence, and in Kenya to deliver mental health educational resources to youth in Nairobi.
After we learned about the devastating explosion in the port of Beirut in Lebanon in August 2020, we began working with a non-profit organization (Uplift Beirut) to deliver the Cress app to healthcare workers in the Red Cross and local physicians who responded to the crisis. We were motivated to respond to this crisis because a lot of people were focusing on the PTSD experienced by the general public, but few people were focusing on the long term psychological trauma imposed on the healthcare workers who saw and worked through the unimaginable that night. We tried our best to do whatever we could to make a difference and help those in need.

We also have been selected as a Fast Company 2020 World Changing Idea and a 25 under 25 in Rhode Island by Rhode Island Inno.

What are you looking for?

We’re currently looking to build awareness around the release of our Callie App so that we can help as many individuals self-care as we can: ​www.callie.app​.

Why should someone invest in you?

We have a diversely talented founding and product development (Yusuf Karim, Brown ‘22) team, in addition to a widely accomplished advisory board:  Sina Y. Rabbany, PhD: Dean and Distinguished Professor, Hofstra University School of Engineering and Applied Science,  Jonathan Avery, MD: Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, Weill Cornell Medical College,  Richard I. Kolsky, PhD: Adjunct Professor of Marketing, Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, Serena McCalla, PhD: Founder and CEO, iResearch Corporation, and Nicholas M. Grumbach, MD: Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.
Our technology is patent-pending. ​We have a provisional patent for our product.


Is there a clear evidence of success you would like to share?

During COVID-19, we’ve pivoted to focus on two major market needs: young adult mental wellness and healthcare worker mental wellness. We heard devastating stories of the effects of the pandemic on the mental and emotional health on our peers, and how the current digital resources available (i.e. Headspace, Calm, Talkspace, Reflectly, etc.) just weren’t sufficient.

The Callie app has three major components:

• A daily journal that asks questions about how you feel and personalized questions about your lifestyle. For example, if you’re a prolific runner, it might ask you if you’ve ran that day and if so, how many miles.

• Analytics that tell you how your emotional health metrics such as stress and motivation are changing over time.

• A virtual companion that crafts a personalized mental wellness regimen based on your unique lifestyle and interests. For example, if it notices from your journaling entries that you’re more stressed when you skip your morning run, it’ll include running as part of your regimen and send you reminders/motivational content to start your day. It also suggests new wellness techniques for you to try over time (i.e. aromatherapy) based on your previous preferences.

Already we’ve reached thousands of young adults across the nation through our campus representative program (​Cress Discover​) which empowers college students to become mental health advocates on campus and in their local communities.

We also wanted to make as large of an impact as we could on this pandemic by getting our app out as a resource to as many healthcare workers as possible. We’ve partnered with AMITA Health, one of the largest hospital systems in the Midwest, with 19 hospitals and over 200 outpatient centers in the Chicago area to serve their healthcare workers with the Cress App. We’ll also be rolling out to healthcare workers in Lifespan Health and the Rhode Island Medical Society and we’re actively in conversation with other healthcare organizations about potential partnerships.

What is the best and worst advice you have received so far?

We’re fortunate to have amazing mentors such as Stacey Sikes, Sharon Goldsmith, Dr. Sina Rabbany, Dr. Rick Kolsky, Liz Malone, and Hamzah Ansari. The best advice we’ve received so far came from our mentors, in which we were encouraged to choose the path for our lives that would lead us to regret the least later on in our lives. This advice motivated us to chase our passions and begin our entrepreneurial venture. The worst advice was when someone  told us that you can’t make a meaningful impact until your mid-30’s after you’ve completed a degree and amassed relevant professional experience. But we don’t think that’s true at all.

If you have a Startup Spotlight to suggest, please contact Shirly Piperno, [email protected]



This story and others on Times of E are made possible by a sponsorship from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a private, nonpartisan foundation that provides access to opportunities that help people achieve financial stability, upward mobility, and economic prosperity – regardless of race, gender, or geography. The Kansas City, Mo.-based foundation uses its grantmaking, research, programs, and initiatives to support the start and growth of new businesses, a more prepared workforce, and stronger communities. For more information, visit www.kauffman.org and connect with www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn.

Tags: Cress Healthmental health innovation
Shirly Piperno

Shirly Piperno

Related Posts

Entrepreneurs are Tapping into Employees on a Booming Island Nation With 11% Growth

Entrepreneurs are Tapping into Employees on a Booming Island Nation With 11% Growth

by Skyler Rossi
February 28, 2022
0

Alex Ross, Jose Herrera and Jared Karson, co-founders of Hire Horatio When e-commerce boomed during the pandemic, Jose Herrera and...

Accessing Money Tools: NFTs Explained, And How Creators Can Take Advantage of Web3

Accessing Money Tools: NFTs Explained, And How Creators Can Take Advantage of Web3

by Lori Ioannou
February 1, 2022
0

Sasha Sloan, a former Miss Utah, built a business on videos for Harry Potter and Star Wars fans. This is...

Changemakers: Meet The Young Entrepreneurs Tackling New Orleans’ Glass Problem

Changemakers: Meet The Young Entrepreneurs Tackling New Orleans’ Glass Problem

by Skyler Rossi
January 11, 2022
0

Franziska Trautmann and Max Steitz have expanded to a recycling facility. Credit: Glass Half Full The idea started with a...

In Tanzania, a Two-Year Program for Young Women is Showing Results. It Starts Early, Lasts Long and Thrives on Connections with Mentors

In Tanzania, a Two-Year Program for Young Women is Showing Results. It Starts Early, Lasts Long and Thrives on Connections with Mentors

by Kristi Eaton
December 3, 2021
0

Mentor Chonge Tukwa hugs her graduating scholar. Credit: AfricAid/Glami At just 24 years old, Ruth Shayo is what some might...

Returning Land to First Peoples may Speed Restoration

Returning Land to First Peoples may Speed Restoration

by Skyler Rossi
November 2, 2021
0

Rene Woods is working to restore the water patterns on his people's land. The day the Nari Nari people regained...

Blonde woman and woman in Arab attire, side by side

Editor’s Note: The Story of a Syrian Entrepreneur

by Elizabeth Macbride
October 28, 2021
0

Jihan with Elizabeth MacBride Editor’s Note, from Elizabeth: One hard thing about being a journalist is letting a story go....

Subscribe to Times of E’s Free Weekly Newsletter

Learn about the emerging ecosystem of diverse founders

Popular

  • Weekly newsletter: Top 20 Entrepreneurship Competitions, DoorDash IPO And Elon Musk’s Move To Texas

    Top 20 U.S. University Entrepreneurship Competitions

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Modern Mexican Food Brands Give Old El Paso The Boot

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Venture Capital Returns Are More Skewed Than People Realize

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Venture Spotlight: Realist Ventures In Connecticut Focuses on Biotech, Healthcare

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Trailblazer: An Audacious Denver Entrepreneur Recruited An Xbox Creator To Develop Her Gaming Vision

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Recent

Editor’s Note: Nepo Babes, Inevitable War?

Editor’s Note: Nepo Babes, Inevitable War?

February 5, 2023

Weekly Newsletter: Nepo Babes, Inevitable War? Dandelion Economy & Rising Mexican Food Brands

February 5, 2023
Homepage Header

Opportunities for Entrepreneurial Leaders: Miami, Pittsburgh, Virtual

January 27, 2023

Recommended

  • Health
  • Climate
  • Deep Tech
  • Finance
  • Education
  • Women Entrepreneurs
  • Mentorship
The Hub: $10K Was The Difference For These Venue Owners, Plus TechStars Teams Up with Minneapolis Twins

Weekly Newsletter: Amazon Sell-Out, Minnesota Twins Accelerate, & The Proper Value Of Small

2 years ago
Photo of three Black entrepreneurs

Out Of Delta Dirt, A Bright Clean Splash Of Hope: A Sweet Potato Distillery

2 years ago
  • About
  • Partner
  • Bespoke Research
  • Listening Tours​
  • Contact
  • Support Us
  • Privacy Policy

(703-966-7357)

© 2020 Mondial Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.

 
Facebook Twitter Linkedin
No Result
View All Result
  • Research
  • Finance
  • Women Entrepreneurs
  • New Builders
  • Ecosystem
  • Events
  • Newsletter
  • Editor’s Note

© 2022 Mondial Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Support Times of E

Times of E covers the emerging ecosystem of diverse founders.

With your support of our journalism, you will receive our weekly newsletter and one of these resources for free: 

Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?